New Beginnings
by nicole14
Summary: Alright, as of August 30th, Chapter 28 is finally up. I'm sorry for the delay. The Author's Note inside will explain.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I own two characters: Daniel and Ryan. However, Ryan won't make an appearance for a while. Other than that, I claim no ownership to any other characters. I simply enjoy writing stories.

**Chapter 1**

**At the Wharf  
**  
At 5pm Theresa approached the wharf, unaware that Fox left the estate to look for her. He had fallen asleep halfway through paperwork and was awoken from a nightmare that involved her. It didn't help that he searched the entire estate to find her nowhere.

He had asked around, but no one saw her leave. So he left. She didn't intend to scare anyone. She just needed time alone, took a walk and ended up at the wharf. Focusing her attention on the water, Theresa stood in silence, until she heard footsteps nearby. She spun around.

"Hello?"

A voice answered, "Theresa? I'm glad I found you. You scared me." The person stepped around a corner. Theresa smiled in relief.

"Fox, hey. What're you doing here?"

He explained as he got closer, "I'll leave it at this. Something happened and I felt better knowing you were safe. So I left to find you."

She giggled, "how sweet. But how'd you know to come here?"

He shrugged, "honestly, it was a wild guess. But it's peaceful out here. I'd come too if I had a lot on my mind."

She smiled, "well, I'm fine, but thanks for being worried."

Fox didn't answer; instead he just smiled at her. She watched him and laughed.

"What?"

He shrugged, "okay...suppose there was another reason I came here."

Theresa countered, "oh? What reason would that would be?"

**At St. Mary's**

Miguel, Charity and John, Grace and David all stood inside the chapel going over wedding details. Kay stood in the hall and watched, while Simone watched her. Kay shook her head.

"This is so wrong. How can Miguel do this?" She turned to Simone who explained.

"Kay, you're my best friend, but you gotta face reality. Miguel loves Charity."

Kay argued, "so if you're right and he has no feelings for me, then-"

"-He wouldn't be marrying her, Kay. That's the bottom line and it has to be more than proof."

Kay argued again, "regardless," and she turned around to peek inside.

Miguel, Charity and John stood in front of the altar, while Grace and David pointed things out.

"I will stop this wedding."

"Kay, why are you even torturing yourself like this? It's not worth it."

"It is. He is. And they won't get married if I have a say in things. Just watch me. They won't get married, if-"

"-If what, Kay?" She spun around to see her mom staring at her.

Kay shrugged, "why do you care? It's not your business."

Her mother argued, "yes, it is. If it has to do with their wedding and your childish attempts to ruin it. But I promise you that won't happen."

Kay gave her a long, hard look and smiled. "Just watch me."

Grace eyed her, while Simone shook her head.

Grace then turned to Simone, "Simone, would you step inside with the others for a minute?"

Simone attempted a smile, "sure thing, Mrs. Bennett." She left and Grace turned back to Kay.

She shrugged, "what're you planning to do, mom? Lecture me some more? How sad. I'm through listening."

She started past Grace, who took a hold of her arm. "That's too bad, because I'm not through talking."

Kay pulled away and spun back around. "What now?"

Grace was rather blunt, "Kay, wake up and get over yourself. Accept things as they are. I won't let you ruin things for them."

Kay just shook her head.

**At Beth's House**

Beth satat her computer, sipping coffee. She had a few minutes of silence, when her mother walked in.

"Beth, I need some tea."

Beth snapped, "I think you know where the kitchen is. I'm busy."

Her mother slowly settled on the couch. "Busy with what? Your plan to snag Luis again? Beth, it will never happen."

Beth argued, "and just how do you figure?"

"Its simple. Luis wants to be with Sheridan. He's determined to make that happen."

"Well, he's as determinedas she is hesitant. Even now that Antonio's fine, she's still keeping quiet. That screams 'LOVE' alright."

"Beth, you're something else."

"Whatever. Keep your mouth shut ten more minutes, and you'll get tea. Now don't bug me anymore."

Edna rolled her eyes, "yeah, sure. Whatever you say." She reached for the remote and hit the power button.

"I wonder if 'Friends' is on. I love that show." She whispered out loud, "you know...Friends. What you and Luis are, and all you'll ever be."

Beth gave her mother a Look. Edna smiled, turning back to the t.v. And Beth, turned back to her computer.

**At The Chapel**

Kay and Grace were still talking, but Kay decided she'd had enough.

"You know what, screw it. I can't get my own mother to understand, and I'm through trying."

Without another word, she walked past Grace towards the church's doors. Grace tried to stop her, "Kay, wait a second-" but Kay snapped.

"-Don't touch me and don't follow me. I'll be home when I'm home and that's all you need to know."

Grace looked on helplessly while Kay turned her back and stepped out. She shook her head, a tired look in her eyes. She then turned at the sound of footsteps. The others were coming from inside the chapel.

Charity spoke first, "is everything okay, Aunt Grace?"

Simone looked around, "...and where did Kay go?"

Grace kept it brief, "everything's fine. Kay just left to get some fresh air. She needs some time alone, and its best to give her just that."

Charity's curiosity took over, "she's okay, though?"

Grace attempted a smile, "yeah, she's fine. She just needs some time."

Charity nodded, turning to Miguel. He had faded away, thinking about Kay's situation and how it related to two months ago. He didn't want to hurt her. They'd always be friends, but that was it. He was in love with Charity. He looked down for a moment, until Charity snapped him out of his daze.

She took his hand. "You okay?"

Miguel turned to her and softly smiled, "yeah, I'm just worried about her."

Grace glanced at her watch, "you know, we should head home. It's still early, but it's getting darker."

While the others agreed, Miguel prepared his goodnights. He gave Charity a kiss goodnight, and he and Simone shared a brief hug. He shook hands with David, John and Grace and then left. Charity watched after him, her hands clasped against her heart.

Simone turned to her, "Charity, you're glowing!"

The two laughed when Charity spoke up, "I just can't help it. I love him so much."

They laughed again, when Charity suggested, "lets head out to the car. The sooner we get home, the sooner we can fill Jessica in on the progress we made."

Simone agreed, "lets go." As the two started towards the church doors, Charity turned around, "John, are you coming?"

John smiled at them and was quick to follow. Grace started to follow, when David stopped her. She turned to face him and he got right to the point.

"From the look on your face, I get the feeling you didn't tell us everything." Grace avoided his gaze, when he stressed, "maybe something Kay said."

Grace refused to look up, when David asked her, "what did she say?"

She lied, "...its not important. It was nothing."

David asked her, "you're sure?" She lied again, "I'm positive. Now, lets get going, huh? The kids are waiting."

Before he could speak, Grace was already leaving. He stood behind, thinking out loud, "I hope you mean that, Grace." With that, he followed.

**At The Wharf**

While Fox hesitated, Theresa interrogated, "seriously Fox, what's up?"

Fox began to speak, "okay...its kind of like this-" he stopped as Theresa began to laugh. He tried to act insulted, "and what may I ask is so funny?"

She apologized, "I'm sorry, its just that...Fox...this is me you're talking to. Since you came back and we became friends...you've been rather honest when it comes to how you feel."

She paused and gave him a look. "Why are you acting so awkward now?"

He finally caved, "because when we talked before, I wasn't...going to ask you out."

Again, she was silent. While he held eye-contact, she asked him, "okay...rephrase that for me."

He reached down to take her hands, "Theresa-" but he stopped and they both turned as a man approached them.

Fox spoke up, "can we help you, sir?"

The man looked from him to Theresa and raised an eyebrow. "I don't think you can help me, but she can."

As he approached Theresa, Fox stepped forward and blocked him. And Theresa stepped behind him.

Fox eyed him, "excuse me?"

The man laughed, "you heard me. Out of my way, golden boy."

He tried to step past Fox, but Fox pushed him away. "Leave her alone, and I suggest you get out of here."

The man snapped, "and you are?"

Fox shook his head, "not your damn business. Now get lost."

Theresa reached down and took his hand, "...Fox..." she hardly whispered. He squeezed her hand, while her head rested against his arm.

The man glared at him, "step aside and nobody gets hurt."

Fox shook his head, "I'm not going anywhere."

The man countered, "don't say I didn't warn you." He reached into his back pocket and withdrew a Beretta 92FS handgun. Theresa froze, but Fox kept his ground.

The man smirked, "still wanna try to be a hero, boy?"

Fox shook his head, "you don't scare me."

Theresa spun him around, cupping his face in her hands, "Fox, please just go. I don't want him to hurt you. I don't know what I'd do if...I..." she couldn't finish that statement.

He assured her, "I'm not leaving you."

Theresa begged him, "Fox, please..." she looked past him in fear as the man aimed at his back. She screamed, "no!" pushing Fox out of the way as the man pulled the trigger.

**In the Next Chapter**

Fox makes a horrifying discovery.

Kay meets a guy.

Beth gets a visit.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**At the Wharf**

The man pulled the trigger and took off. Fox quickly turned his attention to Theresa.

"Theresa, are you-" he stopped as he saw her shaking, struggling to breathe. He panicked, "no! Please, God no!" He slowly pulled her into his arms, "Theresa, talk to me."

She met his gaze, "...Fox...it hurts. It...I...need to close me eyes."

Fox begged her, "please don't. Stay awake. Stay with me."

She whispered again, "its my lower back."

Fox lifted her some and inspected her back. Sure enough, he saw the blood spot where the bullet had entered. He begged her.

"Theresa hang on...please..."

He cradled her in his arms, looking around helplessly. He noticed an ambulance stopped with traffic at a red light. He took off his jacket and set it on the ground. He laid her head on top of it.

"Theresa hang on, okay? There's an ambulance nearby. I need to get you to the hospital."

She slowly stared up into the sky. Fox ran out into the street, just as the light turned green. He stopped about a hundred feet before the ambulance and flagged it down. The truck slowed to a stop, before the driver and passenger climbed out and approached him.

The passenger asked him, "is everything all right, sir?"

"No its not. I need help. My friend was shot and she needs medical attention."

The passenger turned to the driver as he whispered something in her ear. She ran back towards the truck, while the driver turned to Fox.

"Where's your friend, son?"

Fox led him back to Theresa.

**At The Bennett's**

The girls had decided to go out and find Kay. They had been talking, but were now leaving the kitchen. They headed for the coat rack at the same time Grace and Sam came from upstairs. They all greeted each-other with nervous, "hi's", as they approached the coat rack. Charity and Grace grabbed for coats and everyone just stopped. Grace folded her arms over her chest.

"Where were you three going?"

Charity explained things. "We're worried about Kay."

Sam spoke, "I guess we all were. I mean its early, but its getting darker. Where could she be?"

A moment of silence followed, when Grace spoke up, "in any case, we should go."

Her husband spoke again, "Wait.A few of us should stay behind. This way she doesn't come home to an empty house."

Grace shrugged, "well, who wants to stay?"

After a moment of consideration, Sam and Jessica agreed to stay. Once that was settled, Grace turned to Charity and Simone, "okay, lets get going."

Sam stopped them, "Grace."

She turned to him as he disappeared into the living room. A moment later, he came back and handed her his cell-phone.

"If she comes home before you guys get back, I'll call you."

Grace agreed, "okay, and vice-versa. Thanks. Girls, lets go."

The girls grabbed their coats and followed Grace out the front door. Jessica watched on, her eyes glued to the door. She turned as her father brought an arm around her shoulder.

"Jess, I know you're worried, but I'm sure that she's fine."

His daughter leaned into his embrace, "I hope so."

Sam attempted a smile, and while he held her, his thoughts floated, _'where are you, Kay?'_

**5 Feet from the Book Cafe**

Kay was making slow tracks home, still in thought. Things were falling apart, Charity and Miguel were getting married and there wasn't a thing she could do. In fact, Simone's words were starting to sink in. She couldn't keep making a fool of herself. Simone was right; it really wasn't worth it. Maybe it was time to move on. She thought about that, as she bumped into someone. The force of contact turned her around and she quickly apologized.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I was kinda lost in thought."

The guy was quick to object. "No, I'm sorry. It was my fault."

The two made eye-contact, and boy did sparks fly! Kay did a quick visual scan. 6'2'', tall but not too tall. A nice physical build, sandy-blond hair with blue eyes, and an amazing smile to complete the package. Once she caught the smile, she returned it. Maybe getting over Miguel wouldn't be so bad after all. Especially if this guy was the reason. She watched as he held out his hand.

"Sorry, where's my head today? Um, I'm Daniel. Daniel Murphy."

Kay reached out to shake his hand, "Kay Bennett."

A moment later they released one-another's hands, and Daniel gestured towards the shop.

"I don't want to sound too forward, but, could I buy you a cappuccino or something?"

Kay softly smiled, the sincere look in his eyes winning her over. "Sure."

He smiled as they approached the doors. Opening it, he followed her. They found an empty table close to the middle of the shop and took seats. Moments later, a waitress greeted them.

"Good evening."

The two greeted her, when she spoke up, "I'm Lauren and I'll be with you tonight. Do you need a few minutes or...are you ready?"

Kay turned and Danieltold her, "ladies first."

She smiled again, turning back to Lauren, "um, a cappuccino's fine."

Lauren wrote that down and turned to Daniel, "and you sir?"

Daniel looked to Kay, "are you sure you don't want anything else?"

Kay's stomach answered before she did. She laughed, "I guess my appetite decided to sneak up on me."

Daniel smiled, and Kay spoke up, "a blueberry muffin sounds good."

Lauren wrote that down, turning back to Daniel who spoke up, "you know, I'll have the same."

Lauren wrote that down, and repeated all. "Okay two capps and two blueberry muffins, and I'll have your orders ready in a few minutes."

The two thanked her and she took off. Kay turned to Daniel as he asked her, "so where were you headed before our run-in?"

She smiled again, "I was heading home. Just walking off a little stress."

He paused for a second before asking, "feeling any better?"

Kay stared at him for a second and smiled, "much...yeah."

**At Beth's House**

Beth hadn't moved from her computer, but was heavy in thought.

"She may be the love of his life...but I'm his first love. I know he'll always love me. I just have to help him forget Sheridan and he's mine! And I'm not letting anything stop me."

Her mother overheard everything, and couldn't stop laughing.

Beth snapped, "what is so funny?"

Edna told her, "you. Still think you can get Luis back?"

Beth smirked, "I don't think...I know. And I refuse to let anything stop me."

Edna shook her head, "I've got one word for you, honey. Impossible. Its not going to happen."

Beth argued, "we'll see."

She then looked up as they heard the doorbell.

She glanced at her watch, "its still pretty early. I wonder who that could be?"

Edna told her, "perhaps its those doctors from the institution coming to take you, you know where."

Beth ignored that comment as she reached the door. Opening it, her smile widended.

"Luis? Hey, what're you doing here?"

Luis smiled, "hey, Beth. I hope its not too late. I was wondering if we could talk."

Beth told him, "of course. Come on in."

He smiled again, "thanks," stepping inside. He reached out to squeeze Edna's hand, "Ms. Wallace, how are you?"

Edna smiled, "hey, honey. I'm doing alright, how are you?"

Luis shook his head, "can't complain," and he smiled again, slowly turning back to Beth.

She told him, "one second, Luis." She stepped over to her mother, "Mother go to your room, be good and I'll make you some more tea later, okay?"

Edna whispered, "toasted bread, too? And some soup."

Beth told her, "whatever. Just leave."

Her mother reluctantly stood, and with the aid of her walker, stumbled towards the kitchen.

She briefly turned, "night, honey."

Luis smiled, "take it easy."

She smiled and continued towards her room. Beth shut the doors after her and turned back to Luis. She walked over to the couch and took a seat next to him.

She then shrugged her shoulders, "so, what did you want to talk about?"

Luis slowly took her hands. Gently squeezing them, he told her, "us."

**Ethan and Gwen's Room **

Ethan's phone vibrated against the dresser it was sitting on, and he reached over to pick it up.

"Hello?"

He heard Fox's shaky voice on the other end, "Ethan, its Fox."

"Fox? What're you calling for, you're just down the hall."

"I'm not in my room. I'm at the hospital."

As he said that, Gwen walked in from downstairs, closing the door after her.

Ethan repeated, "the hospital. What're you doing at the hospital?"

"...Its Theresa."

He repeated him again, "what...Theresa? Fox, what happened?"

"Its a long story. I'll explain later, but I need you to call Pilar."

"Yeah, I can do that, but what's going on? What happened?"

Fox told him, "look, I can't talk right now. Dr. Russell just came out. I'll talk to you later."

"Fox! Wait a second-" he was answered by the dial tone. He shut the flap on his phone. "Damn it. He hung up."

Gwen asked him, "Ethan, what's going on? What happened? You mentioned the hospital, Fox and Theresa, and then that's it?"

"Fox didn't say anything else. He just asked me to call Pilar, and had to go because Eve came back."

Gwen still looked confused, when Ethan said, "I'm sure he'll explain when we get there. I'll call Pilar on the way. Lets get going."

She slowly agreed, "okay," and she followed him out, hitting the light and closing the door behind them.

**In the Next Chapter**

Fox gets news on Theresa's condition.

Kay returns home with news for her family.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**At The Cafe**

The two were eating, while Daniel explained his story. "I was going to give my parents a call."

Kay asked him, "you don't live with them?"

Daniel shook his head, "but I have a roommate, so I'm not too alone. And we've been friends foever, so we're like brothers."

She giggled, "that's good, you guys are so close."

He explained further, "see, our families made plans to go to California, but we wanted to stay and go to Harmony University. Eventually, we came to a compromise. As long as we keep stable jobs and stay in school at least part-time, we're fine right here."

Kay smiled, "that's great. Sounds like you have things figured out."

Daniel smiled back, "yeah, and after tonight, I'm glad I stayed."

Kay blushed, "the feeling's mutual."

They exchanged smiles a moment longer, before Kay shyly looked away and noticed the clock in the corner. She checked again.

"Its almost 6:00?"

Daniel asked her, "do you have to leave?"

Kay noticed that it was nearly pitch-black outside. She gave him an apologetic look.

"Its probably a good idea. I...kinda ran out earlier. I don't want them to worry."

Daniel shook his head. "Its okay. Maybe we could do this again sometime."

Kay smiled, "I'd like that."

He then asked her, "would it be okay if I called you? We could arrange something."

Kay took a pen from her purse, and grabbed a fresh napkin from the holder on the table. She wrote down her number and handed him the paper.

He smiled, "thanks. I'll give you a call."

Kay returned the smile, "I look forward to it. See you soon?"

Daniel nodded his head, "I hope so."

They said their goodbyes and Kay headed out. She stepped out of the cafe, smiling. She stepped around the corner, buried her face in her hands and screamed. Coming up for air, she exclaimed.

"He is adorable! Wow, I mean...if I really have to get over Miguel, it might not be so bad. Especially if Daniel is the reason I get over him."

She thought about that as she rounded a few corners, and stopped upon reaching her house. She spoke out.

"Well...home sweet home. I hope they're not too worried. I don't think I was gone that long."

She slowly approached her front door.

**Inside the House**

While Sam rocked back and forth on the couch, Jessica paced the family room. She continually mumbled.

"She's coming home. She'll be here any minute. Once she's here, we can call mom and everyone else, and-"

At that, her dad interrupted. "Honey, calm down. You're getting all worked up."

Jessica told him, "I can't help it. What if she's-"

"-No. No bad thoughts remember? Don't think like that."

She apologized, "I'm sorry."

He told her, "its okay. The moment she walks through that door, we'll-"

He stopped when they heard the door open. They both turned to watch Kay through it.

Jessica exclaimed, "Kay, you're home!", walking to the door with their father on her heels.

She smiled innocently, "Jess...dad, sorry."

She stopped as she was squeezed in between them.

Her father asked her, "honey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I promise."

Jessica warned her, "good, but don't that do again! You scared us."

Kay apologized, "I'm sorry. I just needed air. But I promise I'm fine. Come-on, its not that late."

She glanced over her dad's shoulder, expecting to see everyone else.

"Where is everyone?"

Jessica explained, "when you took off, they left to look for you."

Kay wondered, "oh, boy. Um...how long have they been gone?"

Jessica shook her head, "not long. Maybe 15 minutes."

Sam spoke next, "oh, that reminds me. I've got to call your mother. Let her know you're home."

While he walked to the nearest phone, Jessica and Kay took seats on the couch. Jessica got right to the point.

"So spill. What happened?"

Kay smiled, "for starters...I met someone."

**In The Car**

The others had been out and searched every possible spot they thought Kay would go. But to no avail, as they hadn't found her yet. As they headed for another location, Sam's phone began to ring.

Simone exclaimed, "Kay's home!"

The girls waited eagerly, while Grace hit the talk button. "Sam?"

His voice came through, "yeah, honey. Kay just got in and she's fine. You guys can head back."

Grace smiled, "thanks. We'll be back soon."

The two hung-up and while Charity and Simone exchanged high-fives, Grace spoke.

"Alright. I can pull a U-turn at the end of this road."

And she proceeded to head back.

**At The Hospital**

Eve and Fox had begun talking, and Fox now knew Theresa's condition.

"I'm sorry, Fox. She slipped into a coma."

He shook his head, "no," looking away while tears threatened to escape. He turned as she spoke again.

"But because you acted so quickly in getting her here, I think she's going to be fine."

Fox repeated her, "you think? How good are her chances right now?"

"Right now its difficult to say. She's in bad shape."

He hesitated with his next question, "how long do you think she'll be in that coma?"

"I wish I could tell you more, but I can't. It could be a few days...but it all depends. The only good thing to come out of this, is that it wasn't a heart wound. I haven't had many patients survive that. And the bullet missed all her major organs. But it came close to her spinal cord."

Fox shook his head, "how close?"

She told him, "pretty close. I also have a strange feeling that when she wakes up, most of her memory is likely to be gone."

Again, Fox was silent. Eve waited patiently for him to take it all in. A few moments later, he slid his hands into his pockets. "Is it alright if I see her?"

Eve agreed, and led him towards Theresa's cubicle. He stepped in, took a vacant chair and sat by her bedside. He took her hand and just watched her.

Eve stated, "from here, everything looks fine."

"I don't want to be pessimistic or anything, but what if-"

"-One...think positive. Two, if something happens, there should be a nurse nearby. From here, I think she'll be okay. Just talk to her. You never know, she might just hear you."

She smiled and stepped past the curtains. She turned the corner to the waiting area and her smile faded.

"...Ethan? Gwen, what're you two doing here?"

Ethan spoke up, "we're looking for Fox. I got bits and pieces out of him, and then he had to hang up."

Eve explained, "that's probably once I showed up. He's talking with her now."

Ethan looked relieved, "so she's okay?"

Eve shook her head, "I wish I could say she is. But right now she's in pretty bad shape."

Eve went on to explain to them what she told Fox earlier. Their reactions weren't far off from his. They just stood in silence. Not much else could be said before Eve's pager went off. She pulled it from her pocket and checked the message.

"Oh boy." She looked back to Ethan and Gwen. "Looks like I'm needed on the next floor. But like I told Fox, if anything should come up, a nurse should be nearby. I'll be back as soon as I can."

With that, she headed for the stairs. Ethan turned to Gwen shortly after.

"Gwen, why don't you have a seat and rest? I'll let Fox know we're here."

She took a seat while Ethan walked down the hall and turned the corner. He started to speak when he looked in to see Fox holding Theresa's hand, talking to her. He let out a tired sigh as he stood there.

**At The Bennett's**

The front door opened and Grace, Charity and Simone stepped in. While Grace locked the door, Charity and Simone made their way to the living room.

Simone ran to hug Kay, "Kay, you're home!"

Kay smiled, "hey guys," and greeted them both with hugs.

Grace walked in, smiling at her, "Kay, how are you feeling?"

Kay walked over to her mom, greeting her with a hug. "I'm great. How are you?"

Receiving a hug from her, surprised Grace a little, but she didn't let it show. "I'm...good."

Kay recaimed her seat in between Simone and Jessica. Charity sat on Jessica's other side. Grace took the arm-chair, 3 feet away from Simone. Kay collapsed on the couch and slowly sat back, the grin back on her face.

Simone questioned her unusual behavior, "Kay, what's up with you?"

Jessica answered for her, "I'm not even sure she knows."

"Yes I do. And I'd be happy to tell you all."

Charity asked her, "tell us what?"

She announced, "I met a guy! And I think I'm in love."

Simone's expression showed doubt and she and Jessica exchanged a look. Charity slowly smiled, while Sam took a slow seat in one of the arm-chairs. He and his wife exchanged a look, when Simone turned and she and Grace exchanged similar looks. Everyone just sat in silence, while Kay sat in a daze.

**At the Hospital**

Fox gently squeezed Theresa's hand. He then switched hands. He took her right hand into his and brought his left hand up to brush over her cheek. Ethan looked on and stood there, when Fox spoke up.

"Theresa...hang in there. Hang in there for your family...for Little Ethan...for me. I don't want to think about losing you. I can't. You mean so much more to me than you know. So much more than I realized until now. I wish I would've said something sooner..."

He paused, looking down for a second. He pulled himself together, looking up again.

"...But its okay. Because you're going to be alright. I know you will. You're a fighter. That's what I love about you. I know you're going to pull through. And then once you're out of here, maybe we can focus on other things. Like us."

Ethan shook his head, not buying a word.

_'Yeah...sure, Fox. You'll say whatever you think she wants to hear. But I know your real colors. I'm not going to let you hurt her. You can forget it.'_

He shook his head, suddenly deciding he wasn't going anywhere.

**In The Next Chapter**

Sam questions Kay about her mystery guy.

Luis gets a phone call.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**At The Hospital**

Ethan was still eaves-dropping, looking in as Fox squeezed Theresa's hand again.

"Theresa...thank you."

Ethan spoke out too loudly, "thank you for what?"

Fox spun around, standing up as he saw Ethan. "Ethan, what're you doing here?"

Ethan explained, "I...came to let you know that Gwen and I are here, and that Theresa's family is on the way up."

Fox demanded, "how long were you standing there?"

Ethan was saved from his loss of words as the curtains were drawn back and Eve led Pilar, Miguel and Hank, Antonio and Sheridan inside. Everyone grabbed chairs around the room and took seats.

Pilar ran a hand over Theresa's forehead. "Mija..."

Eve stayed with them, until a nurse stepped in. "Dr. Russell, you're needed in 204."

Eve asked her, "again?" The nurse nodded her head and Eve started to follow.

She briefly turned, "I'll be back as soon as I can." With that, she followed the nurse.

Once she left, Pilar's attention diverted, "Fox? When we got here, Eve said that you knew what happened."

Fox hesitated, the painful memory returning, "yeah...I do."

Pilar fully turned to him, shaky, "what happened?"

**At The Bennett's**

While the women digested Kay's comment, Sam found his voice.

"Kay?"

"Yeah?"

"What happened while you were out tonight?"

Kay unintentionally left a lot out, "I met a guy. He was so sweet...and really cute. We talked for a while, until I realized how late it was getting. That's when I came back home."

The looks she received, still showed confusion.

"Okay...maybe I got ahead of myself a while ago. Saying "I'm in love" was heavy. But I really liked him. He was so sweet. And so cute."

Sam asked her, "what can you tell us about him?"

"A lot, actually. His name is Daniel Murphy. I think he's a sophomore at HU. He lives with his best friend-"

"-Where are his parents?", her dad couldn't help asking as he reclaimed his seat.

Kay told him about their families' plans to go to California.

Charity spoke up, "wow. That's quite a distance."

Kay agreed, "I thought the same thing."

Grace was the next to ask her, "what happened after you met?"

Kay explained, "he offered to buy me a cappuccino and I accepted. We went in and grabbed seats, got a little evening snack and talked over cappuccino's and blueberry muffins. It was nice. We just got to know each other. We didn't really get to talk long, because it was getting dark so I left to come home. But hopefully, I'll see him again soon."

Sam shook his head as he stood up, "I'm not so sure about that."

Everyone turned to lookat him.. Kay stod to her own feet.

"Dad...what're you talking about?"

He hesitated, "Kay, I don't know how to tell you this. But...this boy you're talking about is trouble. And I don't want you to see him again."

**At the Hospital**

Fox held his head down for a second. He looked back up and slowly started to explain.

"...I think it was about an hour ago when I found her on the wharf. She was just standing there. I approached her and we started talking. Out of nowhere, this guy approached us. He may have been drunk but it was hard to tell. He tried to make a pass at her. And he got angry when I refused to leave. He pulled a gun on us, when Theresa turned me around and begged me to go. I was not going to leave her under any circumstances. I guess while I had my back turned, he aimed at me. The last thing she screamed was, 'no', before she pushed me to the ground. And...he took the shot..."

He looked down, shaking his head. Everyone pretty much knew the rest. It remained silent as they absorbed Fox's story. He just sat, staring at her. He shook his head, stood up and slowly walked out. Everyone witnessed it, but it was Pilar who stood up and followed him out. She stepped outside and checked around, but didn't see him right away. She turned the corner and slowly approached the receptionists' counter, where he stood with his head in his hands.

She brought a hand to his shoulder, "...Fox..."

"Pilar...I can't tell you how sorry I am. I would give anything to be the one laying in that bed right now. Anything. You know...I want to find that guy...and I want to kill him."

Pilar told him, "believe me, you aren't the only one."

Fox slowly smiled at her. "You know, I'd kill for a mom like you."

Pilar stifled a laugh, "oh now. I'm sure Ivy can't be that bad."

"She can act the role when she wants to."

Pilar softly smiled, when Fox told her, "Theresa's really lucky."

"Thank you."

"In fact all your children are."

Pilar smiled, "Theresa's lucky to have you in her life."

Fox stifled a bitter laugh, "yeah. Lucky her, right? So lucky that she almost lost her life to save mine."

"You can't blame yourself for that. You didn't know what would happen. In fact, I know that when she wakes up, she'll be thanking you."

Fox asked her, "why's that?"

"You acted so quickly. You...saved her life. If anything, she'll be thanking you. And so am I."

Fox smiled, "thanks, Pilar. That means a lot more than you know."

The two embraced in a quick hug. A moment later, they pulled away and Pilar thought of something.

"Oh boy."

"What's wrong?"

"I...I should call Luis. Let him know."

Fox took out his cell-phone, "you can use my phone."

Pilar thanked him and dialed Luis.

**At Beth's House**

The two had just started talking, and she was prompting him to speak.

"So you want to talk about us. Our future?"

Luis hesitated, "...I can't lie to you. Beth, you know you'll always be special to me. I'll always care for you."

While he fought for words, Beth's hope faded.

_'Care for me? What happened to you'll always love me? Alright fine...I guess I'll have to try a little harder.' _

She spoke up. "look, if this is about you and Sheridan...I know you love her, but what about Antonio?"

"Yeah...I know."

She kept talking, "I mean he's so happy. Do you really want to take that away from him?" She then paused for a moment. "Look...I just want you to know that no matter what happens...I'll always love you. Always have, always will, no questions. If you'll give us a try, you'll see how happy I can make you. I can give you what she can't. A wife, children and a wonderful life. But...that can't happen unless you're ready to move on. The question is...are you?"

Luis stared to answer when his cell phone rang.

Beth giggled, "the chances of that, huh?"

Luis laughed, "I'm sorry. Excuse me for one second."

"Sure," and she remained on the couch, while Luis stood and hit the talk button.

"Lopez-Fitzgerald." When he heard his mother's voice, he softened, "hey mama, what's going on?" He listened a few seconds before repeating, "the hospital?"

Beth looked up at that comment. She listened as Luis shrieked, "what?"

Beth stood up from the couch, folding her arms over her chest.

He started to end the conversation, "Mama, I'll be right there. I love you, too. Bye." He hung up his phone, turned to Beth and apologized, "Beth, I'm sorry, but I-"

"-Have to go," she finished for him. "Its okay. But what's going on?"

Luis started mumbling, "when I find the bastard who did this...I swear on my life he'll pay."

Beth took his hand, "Luis. Honey, you're mumbling. Wh-what happened? What's wrong?"

Luis answered her, "my sister was shot."

Beth blinked, "Theresa? My God...Luis, I am so sorry. If I can do anything...say the word."

Luis nodded his head, "thanks, Beth. I appreciate that." She watched as he approached the front door. "I should get going."

She stopped him, "Luis, hang on a second."

He turned to her and she grabbed her jacket, "I'll go with you."

He hesitated, "...is it safe for your mother to be here alone?"

Beth assured him, "She'll be fine. She's an easy sleeper, a heavy one at that and she'll be out like a light til at least late tomorrow morning."

"You're sure?"

"Positive. Lets go." The two stepped outside, and Beth closed and locked the door after them. They headed for Luis' car, and made their way to the hospital.

**At The Bennett's**

Kay still stood staring at her father. And neither the girls nor Grace had torn their gaze either. Kay shrugged her shoulders again.

"Dad, what're you talking about? Why can't I see him again?"

Sam took a few steps towards Kay as a sign of comfort, but she stepped away. "Look, don't sugar-coat it. That's the last thing I need right now. Just tell me why I can't see him."

Sam told her, "honey, I want you to listen carefully. Once I've explained, you'll probably understand a little better."

Kay told him, "I'm listening."

Her father's vision blurred into a flashback as he started speaking.

"A couple of years ago, my partner and I responded to a complaint about a distubance about ten minutes away from Harmony High. A woman called in to report a group of boys lurking around that old warehouse near Frey Avenue. We took the case and headed down there. We got there to see the place surrounded in flames. Three or four other units pulled up and I had one call for an ambulance. While a truck was already on its way, we looked around for our suspects and saw them near the woods. We approached them and when they saw us, naturally, they took off. We took off after them and long story short, we took them into custody. Once we started filing the police reports, that's when I found out."

Kay began to catch on halfway through the story. She shook her head, not wanting to believe what she was hearing. "No...no..."

Her father concluded his story, "I'm so sorry, honey. But one of those boys was a Daniel Murphy."

**In the Next Chapter**

Someone flatlines at the hospital.

Sam and Kay come to an agreement.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**At The Bennett's**

Kay shook her head again, staring at her dad. He stepped towards her and took her into his arms in attempt to console her. She pulled away, stepped around him and grabbed Simone's hand. Simone grabbed Charity, Charity grabbed Jessica, and the girls headed for the kitchen. The adults watched after them; Sam stood with his arms folded over his chest, while Grace remained seated. But a moment later she stood up from her chair, bringing a hand to his shoulder. He turned to her and she offered a supportive smile.

"It'll be alright. She just needs a little time to absorb this. She'll come around."

Sam considered that. "...I know. I just hope its sooner than later. I hated putting her through that but she had to know."

Grace agreed, "I think so, too."

In the kitchen, all the girls sat around the table. Simone had her arm around her friend's shoulder.

"I can't honestly say I know how you feel, but I can imagine it must hurt. I'm so sorry, Kay."

Kay shrugged, "its no one's fault. I just wish things were different. Better yet, I wish he would've told me."

She thought about how that sounded.

"On second thought, I guess that saying, _" 'hey guess what, I was arrested for arson a few years ago,' "_ probably would've ruined the first meeting."

The girls had to laugh at how that sounded and Kay briefly joined them.

Charity spoke next, "don't worry, Kay. I'm sure that everything will work out. You deserve to be happy."

"Thanks, Charity. That means a lot."

"Anytime."

The girls sat in silence a few moments more, when the kitchen door opened and Sam and Grace stepped in. Sam didn't hesitate.

"Kay...honey we need to talk."

Kay stood up, "I agree. We do."

**At The Hospital**

Luis and Beth rushed into the waiting room, and searched for Pilar.

"Mama? Where are you?"

Pilar turned the corner and walked down the hall. Luis walked up and guided her into his arms. Beth ran a gentle hand up and down Pilar's back. A moment later, they pulled away and Luis asked her.

"What's the story?"

Pilar was rather brief.

"She and Fox were at the wharf earlier tonight, and a man approached them. He tried making a pass at Theresa, and got angry when Fox refused to leave. He pulled a gun on them, and Theresa begged Fox to go. He still didn't leave, and Fox assumes that when he had his back to the guy, that's when he aimed at Fox. Theresa pushed him out of the way and-"

Pilar stopped and the three of them turned in Theresa's direction, as they heard a loud beep. The signal that someone was flatlining.

Pilar screamed, "Oh god!"

Luis shrieked, "Theresa!"

Beth sounded frantic, "my god!", and the three of them raced towards her cubicle. They stepped in and Pilar demanded.

"Eve, is she-"

Eve shook her head, "-no its not Theresa. But I have to find out who is flatlining. I'll be back soon."

She took off past the curtains. Pilar brought a hand to her heart, taking her seat. As she took Theresa's hand, she shook her head.

"I can't leave her tonight. I'm sorry, but I just can't."

Luis spoke up, "its alright, mama. We understand." There was a brief pause, before he took a look around. "I have a feeling the majority of us are probably going to stay, anyways."

Pilar shook her head. "I need to know what's going on, what has to be done next, what it'll take for her to get better. I need to know."

Luis brought a hand to his mother's shoulder, and she took it as everyone waited.

**At The Bennett's**

Kay was the first to ask.

"So um, did you want to talk first? Because while we were in here, I made a decision."

Sam shook his head, "no, its okay. You go ahead."

Kay slowly nodded her head, thinking her words over. She made eye-contact again and spoke first.

"Look...dad I understand why you're freaking out over this situation. I'll admit, its close to crazy. There's no way around it. But at the same time, I don't want to stop seeing him altogether. At least, I can't until I've talked to him myself. I want to see him again."

For a good minute or two, Kay's words were met with silence. Her dad just stood there and thought over what she said. In the end, he surprised everyone.

"Alright, Kay. If that's how you feel, I understand."

Kay stared for a minute, not quite believing what she heard.

"...You're serious, dad? You really mean it?"

Her father nodded his head. "You're not a child. You're an adult...and you're capable of making this decision on your own. I'm not going to stop you if this is what you want."

Kay kept her ground, slowly nodding her head. She softly smiled, "thank you for trusting me."

Her father nodded his head, slowly returning the smile, "you're welcome."

**At the Hospital**

Eve walked in from outside. "Okay, everything's all taken care of. Now, I'd like to do another check-up."

Pilar spoke up, "whatever you have to do. I just pray for good news."

Eve assured her, "I don't think you have anything to worry about."

She hit a few buttons on Theresa's monitors and examined the results. She wrote a few notes on her clipboard. As she overlooked the results, she spoke out loud.

"Oh no. This isn't good."

Everyone turned their attention to Eve after they'd heard that.

Pilar hesitated. "...Eve, what is it? What's wrong?"

Eve slowly turned to face Pilar. "I think Theresa may need surgery."

Luis was the next to ask, "why's that?"

Eve explained in detail. "Well, as it is that bullet came awfully close to her spinal cord. If it releases any lead into her system, the results could be devastating. But if we can remove the bullet quick enough, everything will be fine. The sooner, the better."

Pilar was quick to make her decision. "Whatever you feel is necessary, Eve. Just save my little girl."

Eve quickly agreed. "Alright then, I'm not wasting any time. I'm going to get my team of doctors together, so that we can take her into surgery."

With that, she stepped out of the cubicle, around the corner and down the hall.

**In the Next Chapter**

Eve prepares her team for Theresa's surgery.

Charity finds out about Theresa.

Simone calls Whitney.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**At the Bennett's**

After Sam and Kay's talk, the adults disappeared upstairs to their room. To ease the slight tension, Jessica grabbed the girls and dragged them to the living room. She found the remote and hit the power button.

"So, do you guys want to watch a movie? I'm bored."

Simone asked, "did you have one in mind?"

Jessica shrugged, "maybe a horror flick. I'm in the mood to be scared."

Kay shook her head, "I don't know. Um...maybe something like a thriller? Like...Butterfly Effect?"

"I like Ashton Kutcher, but I really want something that's going to make me jump."

Kay told her, "it made me jump."

The others laughed and Kay asked again, "if not that, what else?"

Jessica shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe-"

The girls turned to Charity as she gasped. Kay hesitated, "...Charity?"

Her cousin had been flipping through a bridal magazine; one she hadn't seen before.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to scare you guys, its just this bridal magazine. I don't remember flipping through this one."

Jessica noticed the date. "Makes sense. From the looks of it, it probably came in the mail today."

The smile on Charity's face stuck as she flipped through. "I like these ideas. Do you guys think they'd mind if I asked Miguel over?"

Kay checked her watch. "I don't think they will. Its still early. You see something in there, you might want to use?"

"Yeah. I'll see if he wants to look over it." With that, she headed for the kitchen

**At the Hospital**

Pilar, Fox, Beth, Luis and Hank sat on Theresa's right side, engaged in conversation. Antonio and Sheridan, Miguel, Gwen and Ethan sat on her other side. While they were trying to help time fly by, they all waited for Eve to return with her team of doctors. Out of nowhere it seemed, Miguel's cell phone began to ring. He checked the number, smiled and excused himself from the group. He stood up and walked out of the cubicle, into the waiting room. Then he hit the talk button.

"Hey, there."

Charity answered, "hey. How are you?"

"...I'm doing okay, I guess. How about you?"

"Doing good. I was wondering if you wanted to come over. A bridal magazine came in the mail today. I flipped through and like what I saw. I wanted to see what you thought."

Miguel hesitated, "...it sounds great, but I can't really leave right now."

Charity sensed the tension in his voice, "Miguel, you sound upset. Is everything okay?"

"Not really."

"What happened?"

Miguel hesitated, but eventually broke down and told her what happened. By the time he was done, Charity looked pale. "I'll be right there."

Miguel insisted that it was okay. "As soon as Dr. Russell gets back with her team of doctors, they're taking Theresa into surgery. We'll probably just head home and come back in the morning."

Charity reluctantly agreed, "...okay, if you're sure."

"But how about this? Tomorrow morning, when we leave to come back, I'll give you a call, so you can meet us."

"Sounds good. And um...lets put everything else aside for a while. The wedding can wait. I want to make sure she's going to be okay."

Miguel smiled, "thanks for being so understanding about this."

"Miguel, she's your sister. Everything else can wait. I'll feel better once we know she's okay."

He smiled, "I love you so much."

"I love you, too. I'll see you tomorrow."

The two hung up and Charity made her way back into the living room. Simone caught sight of her first and asked if Miguel was still coming. Charity shook her head as she took a seat.

"Actually no. Um...something came up."

Kay sensed the worry in her voice, "What, what happened?"

Charity took a breath and explained to them, what Miguel told her. "So he's going to call me tomorrow morning when they leave to go back to the hospital. I'm going to meet them up there."

Simone spoke up, "Charity if you don't mind, when you go, I'd like to go with you. And actually, I think I should call my sister and let her know what's going on."

While Jessica and Charity searched for a movie, Kay and Simone went to the kitchen.

**At Chad's Studio**

Whitney had been with Chad at his studio most of the day. They sat in the recording studio, working together on different mixes. They were creating a cd, with a variety of beats. The first song was done, and they were now working on the second. But they stopped when Whitney's phone rang. Chad turned the music down to a minimum.

She checked the number. "I think its Simone calling from the Bennett's."

Chad assured her, "its cool, honey. Just stay cool. I won't say anything."

She silently thanked him, answering the phone. "Simone?"

"Hey, Whitney. How are you?"

"I'm good, sweetie. How are you? Having fun over there?"

"Yeah. We're all having a good time. Um...Whit there's something you should know."

"What's up?"

"Well...Charity just got off the phone with Miguel. Look...there's no easy way to tell you...Theresa's in the hospital."

Whitney froze for a second. She quickly snapped back. "How? I mean...what happened?"

Simone told her everything Charity had heard from Miguel. Whitney took in several deep breaths.

"Oh my God, I have to get there! Simone...thank you for telling me."

"No problem. I thought you should know. But he also said there's no point in going now. Once mom and the other doctors bring her into surgery, they'll be leaving and probably won't be back until tomorrow morning. But Miguel told Charity he'd call her tomorrow morning when they leave to go back. I'll call you, once he calls her."

"That would be great. Thank you so much."

"No problem. So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

The two hung up and Chad asked her, "what happened?"

Whitney explained the situation, as her sister had told her. His reaction was similar to Whitney's.

"My god, that's terrible. I hope her family's okay."

"So do I."

Chad added, "I wonder how Fox is holding up."

"...And just what're you getting at?"

"He's falling for her. I saw those sparks the first time I saw them together. To have been there when..."

He couldn't finish that sentence. They sat in silence for a moment, before he turned back to her. He stared at her for a moment, before he took her hand. She looked up and he told her, "come here."

She leaned into him as he closed his arms around her. And she hugged him back, the two sitting in silence.

**At the Hospital**

Everyone inside had started up a conversation. But once the curtains to Theresa's cubicle opened, it got silent. Eve and her team of doctors walked in. Two were pushing in a bed.They stepped inside and pulled the bed next to the one Theresa was laying on.

Eve stood in front of the empty bed while another doctor stood behind Theresa and a third doctor stood at the foot of her bed.

Eve spoke up, "okay. Bring her over to me."

The doctors lifted Theresa with ease and guided her to the empty bed. Once she was on the bed, the doctors wheeled her out of the cubicle. Before Eve left, she provided her reassurances. She then followed her team out of the cubicle and down the hall. Everyone else followed, stepping out into the waiting room and watching the team race down the hall and out of sight.

As Pilar looked on, she said a silent prayer. _'Blessed Savior, watch over my little girl. It's all in Your hands now.'_

**In The Next Chapter**

Sheridan and Antonio talk.

Beth and Luis talk.

Ethan and Fox have words.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**At The Cottage**

Sheridan and Antonio stepped inside and hung their coats. Sheridan then took a seat on the couch. He followed in pursuit, taking a seat next to her. She hardly noticed, so he ran his hand over her back.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm just worried about Theresa. Her and Pilar. I can't believe how strong Pilar's been through all this. That's one of the many things I've always admired her for."

Antonio smiled, and she gave him a look. "What?"

"Nothing. I just love your sensitivity. But I can assure you of a few things. I may not have been back long, but I know Theresa. She's a fighter...I know she's going to bounce back from this. And my mother...her strength will help her get through this. I know they're both going to be okay."

Sheridan slowly nodded her head, attempting a smile as she did so.

He smiled again, asking, "are you hungry?"

"Not really. I'll eat later."

"Well, are you up for talking?"

"Talking about what?"

"Helping Luis and Beth plan a wedding...soon."

**At Beth's House**

Beth and Luis stepped in, and while Luis walked over to sit, Beth closed the door behind them. She then joined him. Taking her seat, she turned to him.

"So...this has been quite a night."

"Yeah, it sure has."

Beth sensed the anger in his voice, and brought a hand to his shoulder. She assured him.

"I know you're worried, but everything's going to be fine. Not only is your little sister a fighter, she's in good hands.You know Eve is not going to let anything go wrong. Theresa's going to pull through. You'll see."

Luis softened, "thanks, Beth. Thanks for being there tonight."

She assured him, "I'm here whenever you need me. Don't forget that."

He sensed where she was going with things, "Beth...about earlier...before all of this happened. When I came by earlier, so we could talk-"

"-Luis...its okay. I promise not to get ahead of myself. I just...I wanted you to know that I'm here for you."

He slowly nodded again, "thank you."

She nodded back, holding his gaze. It was silent for a moment, when he spoke again.

"Look, I'll just leave it at this...I don't want to lead you on. I don't want to hurt you again. So I won't make any big decisions until we've all talked."

Beth agreed, "I understand. Whenever you're ready."

"Okay...see ya tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Um...call me before you guys leave, and I'll meet you at the hospital."

Luis smiled, "okay," and leaned over to kiss her cheek. He then approached the door, and she followed. He opened it and stepped out.

He briefly turned to her, smiling again, "goodnight."

She returned the smile, "night, Luis."

As he headed for his car, she closed the door after him.She stood against it for a second.

"No big decisions until we've all talked isn't necessarily a bad thing. Maybe there's still a chance for us."

She thought about that, as she walked away from the front door,towards the kitchen.

**At The Cottage**

Sheridan repeated what she thought she heard.

"I'm sorry. I don't think I heard right. You want to help Beth and Luis plan a wedding?"

Antonio nodded, while she shrugged, "why?"

"The better question is, why not? They've waited long enough, as well as survive all the hardships that have been tossed their way. After everything they've been through...I think this would be a great gift to them. Helping them get married. What do you think?"

Sheridan hesitated, "...well its certainly something alright."

"Maybe tomorrow, we should see what they think."

Sheridan fumbled for an excuse. "I don't know. Um...maybe we should wait a while?"

"How long?"

"Well, at least wait until things are settled with Theresa, and she's back home. This is going to be way too much. On top of that, Miguel and Charity are getting married soon. Let's just hold off for a while, before we make any heavy decisions."

Antonio took that into consideration. "I think that's a good idea. Okay then, we'll wait until things have calmed down."

Sheridan slowly nodded her head, when Antonio leaned in to hug her. She hugged him back, and slowly smiled, grateful to have temporarily dodged this new idea.

**In Fox's Room**

Fox sat at his desk in his room, struggling through paperwork. Physically, he was at his desk doing paperwork. Mentally, his mind continually wandered back to earlier, when the accident happened. He kept hearing her scream, _'no!'_, before she pulled him out of harm's way. He shook his head.

"...Theresa. I'm so sorry. I still wish I was in the way when that guy pulled that trigger. I wish you hadn't seen him take that gun out. You didn't deserve to be put in the hospital tonight. You don't deserve to be fighting for your life, when you have a son that loves and needs you, and a family that loves you."

He paused. "...And me. Theresa...I can't lose you. I just can't. You mean too much to me. I-"

He stopped as he heard a knock at his door.

"Come-in." The door opened and Fox spoke, "Father if that's you, I'm on this paperwork right-"

"-No, Fox...its me."

Fox slowly spun around in his chair. "Ethan. My dear half-bro. No offense, but what do you want? Unless its an emegency, I can't afford to fall behind."

Ethan folded his arms over his chest, "in this case, I doubt you'll mind the interruption much."

Fox shrugged, "what do you want?"

"I want you to stay away from Theresa."

"Excuse me?"

"I thought I was loud and clear. I said I want you to-"

"I heard what you said," Fox snapped. "But as far as I'm concerned...you can't stop me."

Ethan told him, "apparently, you don't know me very well."

"Ethan, she's my best friend. Your request for me to stay away from her, isn't going to change that. It won't work either. Because no, I'm not going to stay away from her."

"I'm not going to let you hurt her, Fox."

"There's no way in hell I'd hurt her. You hear me? I would never hurt her. Contrary to what you think, I care about her. She really means something to me. I wouldn't jeopardize that, or our friendship. Ever."

Ethan rolled his eyes, "sure you wouldn't. I know you, Fox. The real you. And you wouldn't change for anything."

Fox argued, "you don't know that. Time can change a person. And I've gotta tell you, time has definitely changed me. I'm not the playboy I once was. Those days are over and I wouldn't go back to them for anything. That's not going tohappen again. And now I think we're done here."

"No, we're far from done. Stay away from her. I'll only warn you once."

"So now you're adding threats to your list of demands? Well, it's not going to work. So save your breath, half-bro. As I said, we're done here. If you'll excuse me, I've got work to do."

He turned his back on Ethan, and went back to his paperwork. Ethan shook his head and stepped out of Fox's room, back into the hall.

"Talk all you want, Fox. But I know you better than that. And I'll be damned if I let you hurt her."

He made that vow as he walked out of sight.

**In The Next Chapter**

Everyone returns to the hospital.

Theresa wakes up!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**At the Lopez-Fitzgerald's**

Luis carried a tray of mugs containing coffe into the family room. He set the tray down and took a seat. Miguel reached over to grab a mug. A minute passed and Pilar still didn't move. Luis reached over and took a mug for her.

"Mama?"

She snapped out of her daze. "Yes, Luis?"

He put the coffee mug in her hand. "Here. Try to put something in your stomach before we leave."

Pilar took a small sip. "Thank you, mijo." She took another small sip and set the mug on the table.

"I wish I had the energy to drink it. But right now, I just want to get back."

Miguel assured her, "mama, relax. They'll call soon. Stay positive, remember?"

Pilar started to answer, when the phone rang. She stood to answer it, but Luis beat her to it. He picked up the phone,

"Hello?...Okay, thank you very much. We'll be there soon."

He hung up, and turned to them. "That was the hospital. They said we could start back up there."

Pilar exclaimed, "oh, thank god! Um, okay, I've got to call your brother and Sheridan."

Miguel spoke up, "and I have to call Charity."

Luis took out his own cell phone, "I told Beth I'd call her. I should call Hank, too."

They all went about making phone calls.

**At the Bennett's**

Everyone was in the kitchen. Grace, Charity, and Jessica washed the breakfast dishes, while Kay, Simone and Samdried and put them away. They all stopped once the phone rang. Kay stepped over to answer it, "hello?" She nodded, "just one second," and turned to her cousin.

"Charity, its Miguel."

Charity dried her hands off with the dish-towel and hurried over to take the phone.

"Thanks, Kay." She then spoke into the phone."Miguel?...Okay, thanks. We'll see you there. Love you, too. Bye."

She placed the phone on the receiver and looked around at her family. "They're on the way to the hospital."

Grace spoke up, "alright, not a problem. I have four dishes to go."

Jessica offered, "mom, I'll help you finish them," she then turned to Simone, "Simone, while we're finishing up, you should call Whitney."

Simone thanked her for the reminder and stepped over to grab the phone. She dialed Whitney's cell and waited. A ring later, Whitney picked up.

"Simone?"

"Hey, Whit. Miguel just called Charity. We're going to meet them at the hospital."

"Thank you, sweetie. I'll see you soon."

The two exchanged quick, "love ya's," and hung up. By the time Simone hung up, Grace and Jessica had finished washing the dishes. They dried their hands and together, everyone headed to the coat rack and the door.

**At the Hospital**

Pilar, Miguel, Luis, Beth and Hank entered the waiting room and waited for Eve to walk down the hall. Moments later, Sheridan and Antonio, Gwen, Ethan, and Fox steppped into the waiting room. They all greeted each-other and waited patiently for Eve. Minutes after they arrived, Sam, Grace and the girls stepped in. Grace and Pilar hugged, while Charity stepped over to see Miguel. Everyone else met and greeted, when lastly, Chad and Whitney stepped into the waiting area. Whitney first hugged Simone, and then stepped over to see Pilar. Moments later, Eve walked in from down the hall. Pilar was the first to move.

"Eve...how is she? Please say its good news."

Eve didn't hesitate, instead she smiled.

"It's good news. The surgery was a success and she's in recovery now. It may be a few hours before she wakes up, but if she keeps good with progress, she may be able to go home in the next few days."

While Pilar hugged Eve, everyone else celebrated as well. Once things were calm again, Pilar asked her.

"Is it okay to see her?"

"It is, but on one condition. I can only allow two of you in at a time. Its just a concern of germs. However, I can allow you all to see her."

Everyone considered that, when Eve asked them, "I guess the question is...who wants to go, who wants to wait?"

Miguel offered, "Mama, why don't you and Fox go see her first?"

Fox was surprised by Miguel's suggestion, "you're sure? I mean I appreciate that offer, but are you sure you don't want to go?"

Miguel told him, "I can wait. Besides, you've been with her since the accident. I figured you might want to be one of the first to see her."

The two slapped palms as Fox thanked him again. He then turned back to Eve and Pilar, "I'm ready." And he and Pilar followed Eve down the hall. They turned a corner and rounded the stairs to the Recovery Unit. Before they could step in, Eve led them to a closet and grabbed two pairs of scrubs.

"Its just another precaution. For fear of-"

"-Germs," Pilar finished that sentence. "Its not a problem."

The two put them on and followed Eve to one of the recovery rooms. Once they were in, she closed the door after them and lead them to Theresa's bedside. She was sleeping peacefully on her stomach. Eve explained.

"We have her on her stomach, because the medication was applied to her back. If we lay her on her back too soon, it could rupture the process."

Pilar told her. "I'm just grateful everything turned out okay."

Eve assured her, "everything's fine."

Pilar and Fox sat in Theresa's line of vision. While Pilar ran her hand through Theresa's hair, Fox took her hand and gently squeezed it. Pilar spoke.

"Theresa. My girl. We're so happy you're okay."

Fox told her, "you hung in there. We're so proud of you."

He lifted her hand and kissed it. Pilar looked on and smiled, before walking over to Eve. As the two started talking, Fox slid closer and watched her.

"You know...I wish you could open those pretty brown eyes of yours. And I'd kill to see that smile again."

He giggled as he watched her. "Its okay, though. I'll see them soon." He stopped as he watched her eyes flutter. "...Theresa?"

Her eyes fluttered a little more until they slowly opened. Her eyes locked onto his and she smiled. "...Hey Fox..."

He exclaimed, "oh my god!",turning to Eve and Pilar, he smiled,"she's awake!"

The two stepped over and tears lit in Pilar's eyes. "...Theresa! Mija...how are you feeling?"

Theresa managed to answer, "...I'm tired...in a little pain. But I'm...I'm okay."

Pilar smiled, "thank god."

"I'm...pretty tired. I think...I think I should sleep."

"That's a good idea, mija. Don't worry. In a few hours, you'll probably feel a lot better. And in a few days, you can come home."

The words "home" hit Theresa and she realized something. "...Home. Little...Little Ethan...Mama, where is he?"

"He's at home, mija. Don't worry. You'll see him again soon. Hopefully in a few hours if you're up to it."

"...Okay. I think...I'll get some sleep. But...I love you guys."

Her mother told her, "we love you, too. We'll see you soon."

Theresa's eyes slowly fluttered to a close. Pilar brushed tears away.

"My god. She's really trying."

Fox smiled, kissing her hand again. He gave it another gentle squeeze,while Pilar smiled between them. Eve was rather surprised.

"I have to say. This is a patient first of few. She is trying. Waking up so soon after surgery is a good sign. I'd say in a few hours, if she wakes up again, she could probably be moved downstairs."

Pilar asked her, "you think so, Eve?"

Eve nodded her head, "I really think so."

Pilar smiled, "we'll just pray then."

The three filed out of Theresa's room and followed Eve out of the Recovery Unit. They began to remove their scrubs as they headed downstairs. They got back to everyone else who waited patiently for good news.

**In the Next Chapter**

Theresa wakes up again.

Jessica confronts Whitney and Chad.

Kay comes to realize she's finally over Miguel.

**A.N.: **Sorry for that delay, guys. Classes were keeping my busy with assignments left and right. And I've got more papers to work on thisweek. But I'm adding this one, and chapters 9 and 10 tonight. Hopefully by Friday, 11 should be up. Til then, bear with me. lol. Aside from that, let me know what you think.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**At the Hospital**

Pilar and Fox recalled the events that led up to Theresa waking up. Then Eve explained to them what she'd told Pilar and Fox in the Recovery Unit.

"At the rate she's going, she may be okay to go home soon. Chances are good she'll sleep a while, but when she wakes up, it might be safe to bring her downstairs. Until then...who wants to go up next?"

It was decided that Charity and Miguel would go next. While they followed Eve up the hall, everyone else split up into groups and started conversations.

Jessica, Simone and Kay all sat together talking; though every few minutes, Jessica watched Whitney and Chad. She eventually excused herself from the conversation and approached them.

Whitney saw her and smiled, "hey, Jessica. How are you?"

"Not bad. How are you? I know you and Theresa are real close."

"I'm doing a lot better now that she's okay. Thanks."

Jessica nodded her head, slowly smiling. She took a deep breath, finally mustering the courage.

"Do you mind if we all talked? Maybe somewhere a little more quiet?"

Chad spoke up first, "...sure. Not a problem."

The three walked out of the waiting room to an empty hallway.

**Outside the Waiting Room**

She spun around to face them.

"Look...I know its not my business. But...I'm asking because I don't want to see Simone get hurt. Even she has doubts that you're being honest with her. Is there something you aren't telling her?"

Whitney shook her head, "no, Jessica...we're friends. Just...friends."

Jessica pressed, "really? That's it?"

Whitney lied again, "...that's it."

Jessica shrugged, "...alright. I guess if that's all..." She turned to head back when Whitney stopped her, her conscious getting the best of her.

"Jessica! Wait a second." Jessica turned, and Whitney hesitated. "When the time is right...we're going to tell her the truth."

For a moment, Jessica just stood there. She slowly nodded her head and headed back. Whitney immediately turned to Chad.

"Oh my god...my god. What did I just do?"

Chad tried to calm her down, "Whit, its okay. Simone's going to find out sooner than later anyway."

"Chad...I just told one of her close friends."

Chad assured her, "we just told her we're going to tell Simone. I doubt she'll take that right away from us."

"How do we know?"

Chad told her, "try."

**In the Waiting Room**

Jessica stepped back in, hiding her anger. She took a seat next to Simone, and the two stopped talking.

Simone asked her, "did you talk to them?" Jessica slowly nodded her head, "what happened?", Simone asked again.

Whitney's words echoed in her head. _"When the time is right, we're going to tell her the truth."_

Simone snapped her out of her daze. "Jess...you okay?"

Jessica shook her head, "uh-yeah. I'm fine."

Simone asked again, "what'd you find out?"

Jessica felt guilt wash over her as she lied, "nothing new. They're just friends."

Her gaze fell on Whitney and Chad as they walked back in.

She watched Whitney mouth out, "thank you."

Jessica mouthed back, "your welcome," turning her full attention to Simone and Kay.

By this time, everyone had seen Theresa. At one point, Kay looked over to see Charity and Miguel talking with Pilar, Fox, Luis, Beth and Hank. She watched them, attempting a small smile. She then felt a hand on her arm, "Kay...you alright?"

She turned to Simone who was watching her. Even Jessica looked a little worried.

Kay told them, "I'm fine. Why?" Simone gestured, "...well, seeing them?"

Kay shrugged, when Simone told her, "look, I know it hurts. But...you've gotta realize that they're-"

"-In love. I know," Kay finished that sentence. "And they're getting married. And, I'm okay with that. It doesn't hurt like it used to. Watching them now...I just want love like that someday. But I know he doesn't have to be the reason I'm happy. Sounds weird I know...it feels weird to hear myself say it, but I'm okay. And I think its safe to say that...I'm over Miguel. I'm ready to move on. Starting now."

Simone hugged her, "Kay, I'm so proud of you!"

The girls laughed, when Jessica told her, "you're really making progress. Its incredible, Kay."

Kay shrugged, "it feels incredible." And she smiled again.

**In the Recovery Unit**

Eve was monitoring Theresa's vitals and noticing gradual improvement. She smiled when Theresa's eyes slowly fluttered open again.

"Hi there. How do you feel?"

Theresa smiled, "hi. I'm...not too bad. I...don't think I can fall back asleep. Not yet. Um...where's my mother?"

Eve told her, "she's downstairs. Do you think you're ready to go back downstairs where you can see everyone? Or do you prefer to stay here a while?"

Theresa shook her head, "I...I think I'll be okay. But um...who's everyone? Do you mean my mother, Little Ethan and Fox?"

Eve told her, "them and a bunch of others."

Theresa wrinkled her forehead in confusion but decided not to ask.

Eve told her, "if you'll give me a few minutes...I'll get a few nurses to help me bring you back downstairs."

Theresa slowly nodded her head, "...okay." With that Eve left...

**In the Waiting Room**

Everyone sat around, waiting for Eve to return. They watched as she and three other nurses wheeled Theresa down the hall. Pilar and Fox jumped up first.

Pilar smiled, "Theresa!...You're awake!" She gently kissed her forehead.

Theresa smiled, "hey, mama." Then she watched Fox approach on her other side.

"Hey, beautiful. How ya feeling?" Her smile brightened, "...I'm doing okay."

He leaned over and kissed her cheek. Theresa looked next, into a sea of faces that she didn't recognize. She squeezed her mother's hand. "Mama...who are all these people?"

"What people, mija?"

"The people-" before Theresa could speak, Eve announced.

"-Pilar...we think she's okay to head back to a cubicle."

Pilar smiled, "that's terrific!"

Everyone filed back to the same cubicle. They got her settled, and once things were given the "okay" from Eve, the nurses left with a handful of "thank-you's". Once Theresa was settled, she looked around the room again; she hardly recognized anyone.

Her mother asked her, "Theresa...you asked earlier..."

Theresa finished her question, "who all these people are."

Pilar asked her, "you don't remember anyone?"

"...Not really."

Before Pilar could speak, Eve explained, "Pilar...I think its a memory lapse as a result of the accident. She'll get it back with time, but for now, things will be fuzzy."

Pilar slowly nodded her head. "That makes sense." She turned back to her daughter, "Theresa... at the moment, do you recognize anyone?"

Theresa told her, "well...you and Fox. I vaguely remember four others. Three are men...I think we're related. The girl...I think I've known her a while. And...that's all."

Pilar softly smiled, "I think you meant your brothers, mija. Luis, Miguel and Antonio. And the girl you mentioned...I think you mean Whitney."

Theresa looked around the room, "where are they?"

Antonio, Luis, Miguel and Whitney all stepped forward. Theresa looked at each of them.

"Yeah. You all do look familiar. Um...hi." Her response was met with a little laughter, before they each said "hi" back.

Pilar ran a hand through Theresa's hair, "mija, this is incredible. I'm so glad you're feeling better."

Theresa smiled, "me too, mama."

She then made eye-contact with Fox. He smiled, taking her hand into his. Squeezing it, she smiled back. Ethan looked on, glaring at Fox.

**In The Next Chapter**

Theresa requests to be released early.

Beth, Luis, Sheridan and Antonio talk.

Ethan and Gwen talk.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**At the Hospital**

Everyone had divided up into groups. Fox, Whitney and Chad, Charity and Miguel sat with Theresa. Eve, Pilar, Sam and Grace stood close by, talking. Kay, Simone and Jessica sat on the other side of the room. Ethan and Gwen were off to the side of the girls. Luis, Beth and Hank, Sheridan and Antonio stood out in the waiting room. And Antonio presented his proposal. He took Sheridan's hand as he spoke.

"I know I promised Sheridan, I'd wait until things were settled. But even if I mention this now, we don't have to take action. We'll just sit on it, until things have calmed down."

She tried to stop him, "Antonio...not yet-" but he insisted.

"-Sheridan, nothing has to happen now. I just want to see what they think about it."

Beth folded her arms over her chest, "what we think about what?"

Antonio told her with a smile, "what you think about Sheridan and I, helping you two plan your wedding."

Luis and Hank blinked, while Beth's thoughts wondered.

_'Could this day get any better? Not only is Theressa awake and feeling better, Antonio wants to help us plan a wedding? Even he knows we belong together! There's no way Luis and Sheridan are getting back together now. I won!'_

She hid her excitement, glancing up at Luis. He glanced from Beth, back to his brother, contemplating his next choice of words. Hank said nothing. Sheridan shook her head, her eyes trained on the ground. She made eye-contact with Luis, and he shrugged.

Antonio spoke again, "so what do you guys think?" He was answered with silence.

**Inside**

Ethan and Gwen were talking, but she noticed that his focus constantly shifted over to Fox. And his eyes were trained on him. Gwen gave him a Look, touching his arm.

"Ethan?" He finally turned to her, and she asked, "what's wrong? Every minute, you glance at Fox. Now, I've seen you two on not such good terms, but never this bad. What happened?"

Ethan thought back to their conversation the previous night.

_"Stay away from her,"_ _he had told his brother. _

_Fox wasn't so willing to give in._ _"Ethan, she's my best friend. Your request for me to stay away from her, isn't going to change that. It won't work either. Because no, I'm not going to stay away from her." _

_Ethan was losing his temper. "I'll only warn you once." _

_"So now you're adding threats to your list of demands? Well, you know, you don't scare me. So save your breath, half-bro. As I said, we're done here. If you'll excuse me, I've got work to do."_ _Ethan had left, but made a silent vow that he wouldn't let Fox hurt her, under any circumstances. _

He snapped back to reality, as Gwen asked him, "Ethan, hey, where'd you go?"

"What?"

"What's wrong?"

He looked back over. "I don't know. I don't know what's with me right now. Its Fox, its not Fox. Its...everything. And then I keep finding every reason to blame him for-"

"-Stop. Stop right there. You can't do that, its not fair. What happened was not his fault. You know that. He saved her life. The irony in things is that you're angry, when you should be proud of him."

He only stared at her in response.

**Across the Room**

Just across the room, Theresa was being re-introduced to her soon to be sister-in-law.

"So...your name is Charity?"

Charity smiled, "that's right."

"And you're getting married to my little brother?"

Miguel smiled, squeezing Charity's hand. "That's right. We're getting married in a couple weeks."

Theresa smiled, touching his shoulder, "my baby brother's getting married? That's so sweet. I'm so happy for you two."

Charity told her, "and we're glad that you're feeling better. After what you've been through, your recovery's been nothing short of a miracle."

"Thank you, Charity. I have to tell you, between God's great work and my stubborness..." she stopped and they all started laughing.

And she finished her sentence, "I'm determined to get out of here as soon as I get the 'okay' from Dr. Russell." She thought about what she'd just said. "Speaking of which..." she looked around the room and caught sight of Eve still talking with her mother, Sam and Grace.

"Dr. Russell?"

Eve turned her attention to Theresa, and all four adults walked over.

Eve asked her, "everything okay?"

Pilar asked, "mija, what's wrong?"

Theresa shook her head, "nothing's wrong. I just have a question."

Eve told her, "oh, of course."

Theresa asked, "how early could I be released? I know I didn't get out of surgery that long ago, but I would be really relaxed if I could go home and lay in my own bed. I could be with my baby. And I'm sure there are probably patients that could use this bed more than I could."

Everyone turned to Eve, as she considered that.

"Well...that doesn't sound too bad." She took another moment to think it over. "...Why don't we do it this way? Stay tonight for observation. And then tomorrow, I'll look over your vitals to make sure you can handle the transition."

Theresa took that into consideration and gave in, "okay...I'll wait."

Pilar assured her, "don't worry, mija. Tomorrow will get here before you know it. Just take today and rest."

"...I'll try."

As she settled on the bed with Fox's help, Pilar brushed a hand over her forehead, "get some rest. We'll be back tomorrow afternoon to take you home."

"...Alright."

Pilar told her, "we love you, mija."

Theresa smiled, "I love you guys, too."

With that, she was showered with goodbye hugs and kisses. Fox was the last to go, only he and Pilar remained inside. He stared at her for a second and she just smiled at him. He smiled back, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

"We'll see you tomorrow, beautiful."

She cupped his cheek, giggling. "I can't wait."

He told her, "I'm just glad you're awake. I missed seeing those beautiful eyes of yours. But I'll see them again tomorrow."

They smiled at each other, while Pilar watched from across the room.

Fox leaned over, "okay," and kissed her cheek again. "If I don't leave now, I'm not going to want to at all."

Theresa laughed, watching him walk across the room.

He stopped next to her mom and they both waved again. "See you tomorrow, mija."

Theresa waved, "bye, mama."

And Pilar stepped past the curtains. Fox smiled at her again, "see ya gorgeous."

Theresa giggled again, "see ya."

He reluctantly turned around and headed past the curtains. Theresa watched after him and smiled again. She laid her head down on her pillow. She smiled, "Fox," as she closed her eyes.

**In Ethan and Gwen's Room**

The door to their room opened, and they walked in. Gwen slid her jacket off her shoulders, and put it on the bed. Ethan closed the door after them, taking off his own jacket. He turned as he saw his wife sitting on their bed, staring at him.

He shrugged, "what's up?"

She gave him a Look. "We need to talk, Mr. Winthrop."

Ethan played it dumb, "talk about what?"

"Don't give me that. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

As he sat next to her, she emphasized the problem, "your _issues_ with Fox. Whatever they are, what's going on with you, huh?"

Ethan told her, "look, I know what kind of guy Fox is. And I don't want to see Theresa get hurt."

Gwen stood, shaking her head, "so this is about Theresa..."

Ethan took her lead, and turned her around to face him. "No, its about Fox. Fox, the playboy. Fox, the guy who will say anything, do anything to get what he wants. And whenever that happens, someone always gets hurt."

"Ethan, how much time have you spent with him since he's been back? Because as far as I can see, all this talk is based on the assumptions you have, of who he _used_ to be. Not who he is _now_. There's a big difference. Besides, he and Theresa are friends. And I'm sorry to say it, but I don't think its your business if they decided to pursue something more than friendship."

"...Gwen...you don't understand. You really don't."

"So explain it to me, Ethan. Because all I'm hearing, is your problem with who Fox was _before_ he came back to Harmony. As far as I can see, he's a changed man. I don't think he's the same person he used to be."

He argued, "you don't know that he is."

She argued, "And you don't know that he _isn't_. Get to know him again. Don't turn your back on him, because of who he used to be. If he had positive influences in his life, only time can tell."

Ethan stared at her, when she stressed, "talk to him. Don't shut him out. Because in the end, you're doing exactly what your mother and Julian did."

Ethan argued, "you're wrong, there. My mother loves him."

Gwen shook her head, "I'm not saying she doesn't. I just think that Fox needs positive influences in his life. Don't always assume the worst, Ethan. He could pleasantly surprise you."

Ethan laughed, "yeah. That'll be the day." Gwen encouraged him, "just try."

He looked her in the eyes, not quite saying yes, not quite saying no.

**In the Next Chapter**

Theresa goes home.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**At the Mansion**

It was the moment Theresa's family had been waiting for. The clock struck 2:00, and they were leaving to bring her home. Pilar and Fox were in her room, getting clothes for her to change into. Ethan, Luis, Hank and Antonio talked in the hall, by the front door. Gwen and Sheridan sat in the family room. But it wasn't long before everyone gathered in the front hall.

Luis spoke up, "Mama, I'll call Miguel and let him know we're bringing her home."

"Thanks, mijo. Are you going to call Beth?"

"Actually, I think I'll pick her up and meet you guys there."

She smiled, "okay, then. We'll see you soon."

Everyone stepped out and took their seperate ways.

**20 Minutes Later...**

Theresa sat in bed, reading a magazine. She looked up and smiled as Eve walked in.

"Hey, Dr. Russell."

"Hi. How are you feeling?"

"I feel great. Thank you."

"Glad to hear that. It seems that you have visitors."

Theresa's smile brightened, when her mother and Fox came in, holding Little Ethan in his arms. "Hey!" She exclaimed as her mother kissed her forehead. Fox handed Little Ethan to his mother.

"Hey, Fox."

He smiled, "hey, gorgeous," and kissed her cheek. He then sat beside her, running his hand over her arm, and he and Pilar watched Theresa and Little Ethan.

"Look at you. Mommy missed you! Did you miss me?"

Little Ethan stared at his mother and smiled, while the three of them laughed.

Pilar asked, "mija, how are you feeling?"

"I'm even better now that he's back in my arms. Just ready to go home now."

Pilar told her, "well then, you'll be happy to hear this."

Theresa asked, "hear what?"

Her mom smiled, "Eve said your vitals are stronger since you stayed overnight. You're free to come home, mija."

Theresa's smile brightened, "really? Oh wow, that's great! I can't wait."

Eve told her, "as soon as we bring your wheelchair down, you're free to go."

Theresa asked, "why do I need a wheechair?"

As she turned fully to Eve, she felt a sharp pain in her back. "Ow!" Everyone jumped to help her. Fox brought his hand to her back, gently massaging the area.

"That may be the reason why."

Theresa tried laughing through her pain, "yeah, I guess so."

Eve explained, "all that moving would be a lot of stress. With the aid of that wheelchair, it should be a lot less strain."

Theresa slowly nodded, "I understand. Thanks, Dr. Russell."

Eve smiled, when Ethan and Gwen, Sheridan and Antonio stepped inside of Theresa's cubicle. Fox took Little Ethan, so that Theresa could adjust and hug everyone.

Once everyone greeted her, Antonio asked, "how ya feeling?"

Theresa smiled, "I'm feeling a lot better. Thanks."

Moments later, Whitney and Chad, and Luis, Beth and Hank walked in.

Chad asked her, "feeling better?"

"Much better, thank you."

Whitney smiled, "I bet you're ready to head home soon."

Theresa smiled, "absolutely."

Her answer was met with laughter. A minute later, Sam, Grace, the girls and Miguel walked in. David and John followed, but stayed in the background. While Grace and Sam greeted Pilar with hugs, the girls and Miguel greeted Theresa.

Charity was the first to ask, "hey, how are you feeling?"

Theresa nodded, "I'm great. Ready to go home."

Pilar smiled, "don't worry, mija. You'll be home soon."

As if on cue, a nurse stepped in, pushing a wheelchair.

Theresa exclaimed, "Yes!"

Everyone else laughed, while the nurse pushed the chair to Theresa's bed. She received "thank-you's" and acknowledged them before stepping out.

Pilar told her, "Mija, once you're settled, we bought you some clothes."

"Thanks, mama."

Fox asked her, "want some help getting in that chair?"

She smiled, "sure, thank you."

He smiled, walking around her bedside. After he handed Little Ethan to Pilar, Fox went to pick her up, while Luis and Hank steadied the sides of her wheelchair. He stepped close enough, and slid a hand under her legs. He was careful about his hand placement on her back.

"Theresa, I need you to guide my hand, so I don't hurt you when I pick you up."

She guided his hand to the middle of her back, "right there."

With that, he carefully lifted her. Once she was steady, for a second he stood there and they shared a gaze.

He smiled at her, "hi," and she smiled back, "hi."

"Ready?"

"Uh-huh," and he gently placed her in her chair.

Once she was settled, Whitney held upher clothing bag, "need help with getting dressed?"

Theresa giggled, "Yes, please. Some things I may be able to do single-handedly, but others...yeah."

Her response was met with more laughter, as Whitney pushed her friend's chair towards the ladies' room. Everyone else followed in pursuit, towards the waiting room.

**10 Minutes Later...**

The two came from down the hall. Theresa now wore a button-up blouse, a white tank-top underneath and jeans. Whitney helped settle her chair next to her mother. Theresa then looked to her mother, as she asked her, "ready, mija?"

Theresa told her, "one more thing." She in turn, looked all around to face the group of family and friends who had been around since about the time of her accident. She smiled at everyone.

"Thank you all for being here. For being such great support to my family, and me. I love all of you." She thought about that last statement, "...I don't really remember the half of you, but..."

She stopped and everyone laughed.

"...In time as my memory comes back...even still...I know how blessed and grateful I am to have such great friends and family. Thank you."

With that, everyone stepped forward, one-by-one, to hug her. Soon after, Miguel turned to his mother.

"Mama, if its okay with you, we were going to go back to St. Mary's and work on some things."

Pilar nodded, "of course, mijo. We'll see you later."

After their goodbyes, the group headed towards the exit of the waiting room. Everyone else headed to their cars, in the direction of the Crane mansion or Sheridan's cottage.

**20 Minutes Later...**

One of the maids dusted in the family room, when she heard the front door open. She stepped towards the front hall, where she saw Theresa first. Fox was the next to appear, pushing her chair. Pilar stepped in holding Little Ethan, followed by Chad and Whitney, and then Ethan.

She greeted them all with a smile, "good afternoon," and then she looked to Theresa, "welcome home, Ms. Lopez-Fitzgerald."

Theresa smiled, "thank you," while she stared around the mansion in awe. "I really live here?"

Pilar told her, "you do, mija. Your room is just upstairs."

Theresa laughed, "this is incredible."

Fox bent down beside her, "welcome back."

Theresa smiled, "thank you," and kissed his cheek.

He returned the smile while they held each other's gaze. Pilar, Whitney and Chad all smiled knowingly. Ethan was the only one with that Look in his eyes.

**In the Next Chapter**

Luis, Beth and Hank, Sheridan and Antonio talk.

Sheridan and Gwen talk.

Theresa meets Julian and Rebecca.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**At the Mansion**

The group was about to head up to Theresa's room, when they all heard footsteps. Theresa watched as a man holding some papers, came in from a hall. He looked up and stopped when he saw Theresa in her chair.

"My God...what happened?"

Fox spoke up for her, "its a long story, father."

Julian asked again, "well, are you feeling alright?"

Theresa nodded, "I'm fine, thanks, but um...who are you?"

Julian asked, "you don't know?"

Pilar spoke up, "she has amnesia, Julian. Its only temporary, but for now things are blurry."

"Oh, I see." And he turned back to Theresa, "well, if you need anything, don't hesitate."

Theresa smiled, "thanks, I appreciate that. Nice meeting you."

Julian smiled back, "same here. Not a problem. If you all will excuse me, I have some work that must get done."

With that, he walked towards the living room.

Theresa spoke again, "Julian...he's a nice guy. I like him."

Everyone laughed, when Pilar spoke again, "lets get you upstairs, mija."

Theresa agreed, "yeah. Lets go."

But they stopped again, when Rebecca came in from the same direction. Pilar laid eyes on her and tensed up. Fox noticed and brought a hand to her shoulder. Theresa greeted the woman with a smile.

"Hi."

Rebecca met her gaze, giving her a look, "well...what happened to you, Little Miss?"

Theresa was caught off guard by her remark, when Fox ended things there. He wheeled her towards the stairs, "what's say we get to your room, huh?"

While they stepped away, Rebecca headed towards the living room. Fox slowly picked Theresa up out of her chair, while Ethan offered to bring it upstairs. And he followed Pilar, Whitney and Chad. Once he got up, Fox set Theresa down in her chair.

She shrugged, "what was that all about?"

Fox assumed, "you mean the unfortunate run-in with Rebecca?"

Theresa shrugged, "I guess."

Fox shook his head, "nothing. Don't let her get to you."

And he changed the subject, "we're just about there."

With that, the group continued down the hall.

**Downstairs...**

Rebecca poured herself a drink.

"I hope her condition's permanent. Whatever happened to that little Terror, she deserved it. Maybe it'll teach her to stay away from a married man. Do you get it, Theresa? My Gwen won, you lost. Its called life. Move on."

She laughed, as she downed her drink. "Now...where did Julian go?"

**Upstairs...**

Theresa laughed as she looked around her room, "I didn't think it could get any better. This is beautiful."

Fox asked her, "do you want to relax on your bed?"

Theresa agreed, "sure," so he gently lifted her and placed her on her bed.

He made sure she was settled, before Whitney spoke up. "I think Chad and I better take off. There are a few things we need to take care of before I head back home."

While Theresa smiled at her, Pilar spoke up, "thanks for coming with us, and for being at the hospital. Your support really helped."

Whitney smiled, "absolutely. Theresa is my best friend. There's not a thing in the world I wouldn't do for her."

Theresa smiled again, "thanks, Whitney."

Whitney stepped forward and gently hugged her. She pulled away and told her, "I'm so glad that you're okay."

Theresa agreed, "me, too."

Whitney told her, "maybe we'll stop by tomorrow to see you?"

"Sounds great."

"Okay. See ya later."

She stepped back and Chad stepped forward. He hugged her and kissed her cheek. "We'll see ya tomorrow."

Theresa spoke up, "see ya then."

Whitney and Chad stepped over to hug Pilar, said quick goodbyes to Little Ethan, Fox and Ethan, and then took off. Pilar then walked over to hand Theresa her son. She immediately began talking with him. Ethan decided to make himself scarce, as did Pilar, but not before promising that she'd be back. Once the door closed, Fox reached out and took Theresa's hand. She met his gaze and he smiled.

"I am so happy that you're okay. You really scared us for a while there, but you stayed strong and pulled through."

Theresa smiled, "thanks, Fox. Believe me, it wouldn't have been nearly as easy without the support I got from you guys. Thanks for being here."

Fox told her, "always." And they exchanged another smile.

**At The Cottage**

Hank, Beth and Luis stood opposite the fireplace. Gwen, Sheridan and Antonio all stood opposite the stairs that lead to the door. Antonio managed to pull the subject back to his prposal.

"We didn't really get much time back at the hospital to talk about it, but now that we know Theresa's safe at home..."

Luis spoke up, "...yeah, thank God. Mama's been a wreck the last few days. But things have definitely worked out."

Antonio agreed, "they sure have."

It was silent for a moment, when he looked back and forth between his brother and Beth, "but um...getting back to what we were talking about. I want to know what you guys think."

Luis nodded, "you mean...about this wedding...?"

Antonio smiled, "yes. I think you've waited long enough, and survived the hardships tossed your way. You two deserve to be happy, and if you're up to planning, I'd like to help out however I can."

Luis spoke carefully, "...well, this is quite an offer, but I think we should hold off for a little while. Maybe until after Miguel and Charity's wedding? That'll be enough excitement as it is. Planning one, while one's in the process of happening tends to get hectic. Lets just wait."

Antonio nodded, "that's fine with me. Just let me know when you guys are ready."

Luis nodded back, "anyways, its probably best if I head back to the station. I've got some paperwork to tackle."

He turned to Beth, "you don't mind us taking off, do you?"

Beth shook her head, "its fine. I should be getting back anyways."

Luis slowly nodded his head, "alright. So um...we'll see you guys in a bit."

He stepped forward to hug his brother. He waved goodbyes to Sheridan and Gwen, as did Hank and Beth. And the three of them started for the stairs. They stepped outside, when Antonio turned to Sheridan.

"There's something I forgot to mention to him. I'll be right back."

Sheridan nodded, "okay," and watched him take off after them. She then turned to Gwen.

"Gwen, what am I going to do?"

"Honey, you're running out of time. Tell him the truth. End all of this right now."

"I want to. And I will right after their brother's wedding. I just hope he doesn't try marrying them off before then."

"Hopefully, that won't be the case. He did say he was willing to wait. Regardless, try talking with Luis soon. Just don't wait much longer."

"I won't. I can't. I want to be with Luis. I want to be his wife. I love him so much."

Gwen smiled, "I know you do. Don't worry. It'll be over in a few weeks."

"I sure hope so. I'm just worried about how he's going to take it. I know he's going to be angry. Maybe even betrayed, but I can't lie to myself anymore. He has to know."

She and Gwen abruptly turned when they heard Antonio's voice. "Has to know what, Sheridan? Were you talking about me just now? If so, what do I have to know?"

Gwen glanced briefly at Sheridan, and turned back to Antonio, folding her arms over her chest. Sheridan kept her eyes trained on her husband, both women completely tongue-tied.

**In the Next Chapter**

Simone gets a phone call.

Theresa watches Fox bond with Little Ethan.

Beth shares her joy with a stunned Ms. Wallace.

Sheridan talks her way out of another sticky situation.

A/N: Guys, my deepest apologies for the delay in posting this chapter. I was ready to post it weeks ago, and unfortunately, my computer crashed. Not only was I unable to get online, the computer wouldn't even turn on. I thought it was an issue with the battery, so I left it alone for a day to charge, and it still didn't work. I brought it to school (they lent all the college freshmen laptops back in September), and found out it was the battery. They gave me another one, so I'm now back online and will be updating morevery soon. Aside from that, I hope you guys are enjoying the story, and thanks so much for all your reviews!


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**At the Bennett's**

The girls watched as the credits to "The Grudge" began to roll. Charity shivered as Jessica hit the mute button on the television.

"That movie gave me the creeps."

Simone agreed, "same here. I didn't think any movie could get to me that much."

Kay teased her, making the same throat sound the woman made.

Simone laughed, "Kay, cut it out! That woman making that noise was creepy enough."

Kay laughed, "sorry, I couldn't resist."

Jessica shrugged, "so, what next? Another movie or-"

She was answered with a knock at the door. Kay called out, "come-in!"

Grace popped in, "Simone, your dad's on the phone, sweetie."

"Thanks, Mrs. Bennett."

Grace nodded before she disappeared. Kay picked up her phone and handed it to Simone.

"Dad?"

"Hey, sweetheart, how are you?"

"I'm good, how are you?"

"I'm okay. Um...ready to come home?"

Simone hesitated, "...not really," and then laughed, "do I have to?"

T.C. started to answer, "well...only because-"

"-Dad, its cool. I have some things to take care of once I get back, anyways."

"Okay. Um...do you want me to give you a little while?" Simone asked, "can I give you a call?"

"Absolutely. Take your time, I'm not in a rush."

"Thanks, dad. See you in a bit."

They exchanged "I love you's," said their goodbyes and hung up. She looked at her friends, and Kay sadly asked her.

"He's coming soon?"

"Not exactly. He said to call when I'm ready. He also said take my time, since he's not in a rush."

Jessica spoke up, "in that case, he'll be waiting for a while. We're kidnapping you a few more days."

All four of them laughed, "as much as I wouldn't mind that, I'd have to go home eventually."

Kay argued, "not really."

The girls laughed again, when Simone shook her head, "you two are a trip."

It was silent again, when Kay shrugged, "so, what now?"

Jessica spoke, "there should be something on t.v."

With that, they turned back to the set.

**At the Mansion**

While Little Ethan slept in his crib, Theresa sat on her bed, sorting through things she had left the night of her accident. Mainly papers and a few books. She grabbed for a book, but winced as she felt a sharp pain run down her back. She leaned back against her headboard, to let the pain pass.

Once the pain dulled, she thought out loud, "just grab it."

She quickly grabbed it, and leaned back again to rest the sore muscles. After a moment the pain dulled again, while she looked at the book she'd grabbed.

"Which one is this?" She flipped through the book and skimmed a couple of pages.

"Hm..." she laid it down and reached for another, when Little Ethan awoke, crying. "My poor baby. Hang on, Little Ethan. Mommy's coming."

She slowly began to slide off her bed, trying twice as hard to ignore the growing pain in her back. She was startled as she watched her bedroom door fly open. But she relaxed once she saw Fox pop in, and head straight for Little Ethan's crib.

"Hang on, little guy."

Theresa smiled and relaxed a little, while Fox picked the toddler up out of his crib. He began to play with him, and spun him around a few times. Moments later, Little Ethan was giggling.

Fox joined him, "there we go."

Theresa watched him in admiration, "thanks, Fox."

Fox shook his head, "not a problem."

And Theresa watched on, admiring how well Fox was bonding with him. _'Wow! I never realized how good Fox was with Little Ethan. He's going to make a great father someday. Whatever it is...he's got it.'_ She slowly smiled, just watching.

**At Beth's House**

Beth walked in with a smile glued to her face. From her stature it was apparent that she was somewhere off in space. But she was snapped out of her daze as her mother walked in from the kitchen.

"Well, Beth nice of you to stop by."

Beth rolled her eyes, plopping on the couch, "whatever, Mother."

It was silent for a moment, until Edna asked, "how's Theresa doing?"

"A lot better. She just went home this afternoon."

Ms. Wallace brightened, "well, that's great! I'm happy to hear that."

"Me, too. I'm happy for her and her family. Especially Pilar."

"Maybe we should send a card over."

Beth shrugged, "sounds good."

Ms. Wallace hesitated, thrown by her behavior. "Beth, what's with you?"

Beth played with her fingers, "what do you mean?"

"With you 24.7 its, _'Luis will be mine, I'll make him forget all about Sheridan. I'll be his wife if its the last thing I do.' _"

Beth stared at her while Edna asked, "where'd that tired speech go?"

"Out. Don't think I need it anymore."

Edna blinked, "what're you talking about?"

Beth exclaimed, "just that Antonio...Luis' brother...offered to help Luis and me plan a wedding!"

Edna exclaimed, "WHAT! No way! What for?"

Beth rolled her eyes, "isn't it obvious? Even he knows that we're meant to be together. Because we are. Its official, Mother. No more of your _'Luis will never marry me'_ taunts. I _will _be Mrs. Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald!"

Beth laughed and fell into daydreaming while Edna shook her head in disbelief.

**At the Cottage**

Sheridan and Gwen watched Antonio shrug his shoulders, "what do I have to know?"

Gwen started to speak, "...oh nothing important...just that-"

"-I'm more than happy to help Beth and Luis. I just don't want us to rush things," Sheridan came to her friend's rescue.

Antonio shook his head, "oh no need to worry about that. I don't want them to rush things either. I just wanted to get the idea off the ground, see how they felt about it. But I agree."

Sheridan spoke again, "after all...even engagements aren't exactly guarantees. I just don't want Beth or Luis to get disappointed."

Antonio smiled, "I agree completely."

Sheridan and Gwen silently breathed in relief, while Antonio offered, "Sheridan, I'm going to make us some tea. Gwen, you're more than welcome to stay."

Gwen shook her head, "oh, thanks Antonio. I appreciate the offer, but I should be getting back to the mansion."

Sheridan hugged her, "thanks for being here, Gwen."

Gwen smiled, "honey, anytime. You're like the sister I never had."

The two laughed and Sheridan replied, "same here."

Then Gwen and Antonio shared a hug, before Sheridan walked her friend to the door.

"It'll be okay. Everything will work out," Gwen whispered before she headed back towards the main house.

Sheridan watched her off, before slowly closing the door. She turned as Antonio spoke.

"Still want that tea?"

Sheridan smiled, "yeah. Sounds good."

Antonio nodded and headed towards the kitchen. Meanwhile, Sheridan walked over to sit on the couch. She picked up a magazine with a bride and groom on the front cover, and pictured her and Luis as the bride and groom.

_'Someday soon, Luis. I promise.'_ That was the vow she made before getting lost in thought.

**In the Next Chapter**

Simone sees Chad and Whitney together.

Ethan witnesses an intimate moment between Fox and Theresa.

Kay gets a phone call.

**A/N:** Once again I can't even begin to apologize for taking THIS long to update this one. The situation that happened with the previous chapter is pretty much what happened with this one as well. By the time I got the new battery for the laptop, our contracts with them ended and I had to turn it in. That was May 8. I had written about three chapters in advance and I was ready to post them, but I didn't have access to a computer so I was out of luck. Throughout the remainder of the month of May, I was out of town, but now that I'm in Fort Washington visiting relatives, I have access to a computer for a while. I won't be here long, but I can probably add up to Chapter 15 or 16 before I head back home. I'm not sure what will happen at that point, but I'll update you guys ASAP. Til then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the next one will be up shortly.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**At the Bennett's**

The girls took their time getting downstairs, not ready to see Simone go. She had been over the past week, assisting with the wedding and hanging out with the girls. Now that things were pretty much settled, aside from some minor details that could be worked out by the adults, Simone was heading home. Kay and Jessica each held a bag of hers, which they set on the stairs as they got to the bottom. Simone spoke up.

"Thanks for the great time, guys. I had fun.But don't look so down. I'm just a phone call away."

The girls laughed and one by one stepped forward to hug her. The adults came from the kitchen and as they approached the girls, they all heard the doorbell.

The girls mumbled, "oh...man."

Everyone laughed, as Grace walked to open the front door. In stepped T.C. who hugged his friend. Then the two approached the others. Simone attempted a smile as she stepped forward to hug him.

"Hey, daddy."

T.C. smiled, "hey, baby girl. You ready?" He quickly corrected himself. "I should rephrase. I can imagine the answer is no."

Everyone laughed, when Simone insisted, "its okay. I know I have to come home. I've got things to work on."

T.C. kissed her forehead. "Did you have fun?"

Simone nodded, "I always have fun when I'm here." She turned around. "Thanks for having me, Mr. and Mrs. Bennett."

Grace smiled, "Simone, we were happy to have you. You're family and you're welcome anytime. We enjoy your company."

Simone smiled, when Sam told her, "likewise. You're always welcome. As Grace said, you're family and you help keep the girls out of our hair."

Jessica piped up, "hey, we aren't that bad!"

Everyone laughed and Simone smiled again, "thank you." She turned back to her dad, "alright, lets make this quick before I change my mind."

Everyone laughed again, when the girls got one more hug from her. She pulled on her coat, took her bags from Kay and Jessica, and she and her dad said their last round of goodbyes. They then headed for his car. The Bennett's watched Simone and her dad drive off, before slowly closing the door. Kay lazily headed for the living room as she spoke.

"Great...now what?" Moments later, the phone rang. She spoke again, "I'll get it."

She walked over to the cordless in the family room, "hello?"

"Hi. Is Kay there?"

"Speaking. Who's calling, please?"

"Hi, Kay. Its Daniel."

**At the Mansion**

Fox sat with Theresa as he held Little E., "so what're you up to, gorgeous?"

Theresa told him, "going through things. Or trying."

He shook his head, "don't worry about that. I'll tackle them later."

She argued, "Fox, its okay. I can do some things myself."

He hesitated, "...I bet. But you don't want to overdo it."

Theresa shrugged, "that's never stopped me before."

Fox laughed, "I can imagine. You are a stubborn one. But on the bright side, that's also a good quality."

She laughed, "you think so?" Fox nodded while she spoke, "it seems to frustrate everyone else."

He laughed again before someone knocked; in walked Phyllis.

"Hi, Phyllis," the two chimed in.

She smiled, "hi, you two. Theresa, did you want me to give Little E. a bath?"

Theresa smiled, "Phyllis, that'd be great. Thank you. I'd love to do it, but..."

Fox argued, "-but you aren't going anywhere for a while."

Theresa gave him a look, while he winked at her. Phyllis looked on and smiled, while Theresa warned him.

"Don't try buttering me up."

Phyllis took Little Ethan while Fox threw his hands up, "okay, okay. You win."

Theresa shook her head, smiling.

Phyllis spoke again, "take care of her, Fox."

He assured her, "I promise, Phyllis."

With that, she walked out carrying Little Ethan. Fox watched after her, when Theresa reached and grabbed for his hand. He turned back to her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. She smiled and he smiled back.

"What's up?", he asked her.

"Well, I had a question."

"Sure."

Theresa suggested, "can we work on my memory?"

**At the Russell's**

T.C. and Simone stepped inside and Simone started for her room.

"Sweetheart if you need me, I'll be in the kitchen."

"Okay," was Simone's last word before she started upstairs. She walked to her room and tossed her bags on her bed. She unzippened the first bag of clothes and began to seperate them into piles to wash. She got halfway through when she heard voices from her window, which was cracked open. Temporarily abandoning the bags, she stepped over to her window. She watched on as Chad and Whitney walked up the sidewalk to the Russell House.

"What're they doing...together?"

Simone decided to follow their trail. She left her room and approached the stairs. She walked down a few and leaned forward some. The front door opened and in walked the two. She shook her head and strained to hear the conversation, but didn't get much.

"Wonder why they're being so quiet."

She watched in silence. She took in a deep breath to silence the scream that threatened to surface when she watched the two of them kiss. She shook her head.

"Why Whitney? Why are you doing this? Why Chad?"

**At the Mansion**

Fox hesitated, "...you want to work on your memory?"

She nodded when he shrugged, "where do you want to start?"

She shrugged, "it doesn't matter. Whatever you can tell me. Like...who that woman was."

Fox assumed, "you don't mean Phyllis, right?"

She laughed, "no, the woman we ran into earlier. I think you called her, Rebecca?"

Fox preferred not to relay that information. "Um...ya know maybe we should start somewhere else?"

Theresa argued, "but I want to know who she is. Why did she sound angry with me?"

_"You really don't want to know,"_ Fox thought silently, before he shook his head. "Is there...anywhere else you'd like to start?"

She shrugged, "like where?"

Fox fumbled for an answer, "Um...I could tell you about-"

"-Ah!" Theresa shrieked slightly as she felt her back tighten.

Fox jumped, "what happened? What can I do?"

"I'm not sure. I just felt my back tighten. It feels awkward."

Fox slid closer, "come here."

He pulled her into his arms and gently ran his hand over the lower part of her back. Theresa rested against him as he massaged the area. A few moments later and the tight feeling began to dissolve. Even as it did, Theresa relaxed against him, feeling that sense of warmth and security. Fox held her steady with one hand while he used the other to massage her back. As he began to feel her relax he smiled. He rested his hand against her back, before slowly drawing away to look her in the eyes.

"Is that better?"

She gazed into his eyes as she smiled.

"Yeah."

Meanwhile, Fox felt himself getting lost in her eyes. He brought his left hand up to run through her hair, while she smiled at him. He slowly smiled back as they just sat there, neither wanting to break eye contact. They both saw that the moment was there, but Fox fought every urge to kiss her. Instead, it was Theresa who leaned up and initiated the kiss. Fox just held her close as she melted into his arms. The two were completely caught up in the moment. He held her as if she might break. Normally, he would hold her tighter, but he didn't want to hit any pressure points in her back. Meanwhile, Theresa cupped his face in her hands. There were a number of feelings rushing through them both as they were oblivious to their surroundings.

And who else to witness this moment, but Ethan. He watched on, with a number of mixed feelings. He was ready to barge into the room and rip Fox away from her; at the same time he wanted to wait around to see what would happen next. He watched the two slowly draw away and gaze into each-other's eyes again. Fox was the first to speak.

"Wow! Um...Theresa, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that-"

"-Hey," she shushed him. "Last I checked I kissed you first."

Fox nodded, "maybe...but I shouldn't have kissed you back."

Theresa shrugged, "why not?"

Fox told her, "Theresa...I don't want you to...you've been through a lot over the last few days. I want you to concentrate on getting better first."

Theresa told him, "well, I am feeling better. At least a little."

But she stopped as she noticed the look in his eyes. "Okay...you're right."

Fox assured her, "look...once you get better, maybe then we can start talking about...things."

Theresa smiled, "...okay. Sounds like a plan."

Fox smiled back, kissing her forehead. "Want some time alone?"

Theresa shook her head, "no, stay. I like having you with me."

Fox nodded, "okay. Your wish is my command."

While things got silent again, Ethan stood at her bedroom door, still watching. There was quite a mixture of feelings bubbling up inside of him. He shook his head as he watched them.

"This can't happen. Under no circumstances will I let you hurt her, Fox. If that means keeping you two apart, so be it."

**In the Next Chapter**

Kay and Daniel talk.

As for the rest, I'm still thinking, so you guys are in for a surprise next chapter. I'll leave it at that.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**At the Bennett's**

"Hi, Kay. Its Daniel."

Kay slowly smiled, "Daniel...hi. How are you?"

Daniel answered, "I'm okay, how about you?"

Kay shrugged, "not too bad. What's up?"

She sensed hesitation.

"...I know this is short notice, but do you think we could meet somewhere? Maybe at the Book Cafe again? I need to talk to you about something."

The sound of that intrigued Kay.

"Um, yeah sure. How soon did you want to meet up?"

Daniel told her, "whenever is good for you."

She told him, "well, I wasn't doing anything if you had today in mind."

He asked her, "you're sure?"

Kay insisted, "uh-huh. Just let me know when."

He asked her, "um...would you be able to meet me within the hour?"

Kay nodded, "sure. It shouldn't even take me that long."

Daniel answered, "okay, great. I appreciate that Kay, thanks. So...I'll see you soon?"

She smiled, "yeah, see you soon."

The two hung up and Kay spun around to face her family.

"Um...if you guys don't mind, I was going to meet a friend at the Book Cafe."

Sam laughed, "Kay, it's alright. We heard you say Daniel's name earlier."

Kay shrugged, "...you're okay with it?"

Sam nodded, "we talked about it, didn't we?"

Kay slowly nodded her head. "Yeah, we did." She then grabbed Jessica and Charity, and headed towards the stairs.

**At the Mansion**

Ethan shook his head as he stepped away from Theresa's bedroom door.

"No...I know Fox. He's only going to end up hurting her in the end. And I refuse-"

"-You refuse what?" Ethan spun around into the curious eyes of his wife.

"Gwen...! What're you doing?"

She crossed her arms, "I could ask you the same thing. I was on my way to our room. What were you doing at her bedroom door?"

He stumbled, "I...I was just-"

"-You were spying on her, weren't you? Or perhaps Fox is in with her, so you were spying on them?"

Ethan denied it, "...Gwen, it's really not what you think."

Gwen was clearly frustrated, "Ethan..." she grabbed him and pulled him to their room. She then closed the door after them.

"Look, I don't know what your problem is, but you need to stop this. It's getting ridiculous. Whatever those two decide is not your business. When are you going to realize that?"

Ethan shook his head, "Gwen...you don't understand. I just don't want to see her get hurt."

Gwen assured him, "you said that already, and again, that's not your concern. Ethan, please you have to stop. Let those two be. Whatever they decide is up to them. Please?"

Ethan hesitated for a good moment. Gwen repeated, "Ethan...please?" Letting out the breath of air he'd been holding, Ethan gave in.

"Alright...alright, I'll let things go. I...I'll let it go."

Gwen softly smiled, "thank you..." and she stepped forward to hug him. Hehugged back, but still wasn'tsure of his owndecision.

**At the Book Cafe**

Daniel stood outside the shop, while he waited. Moments later, however, Kay turned up. Once he saw her, he smiled and approached.

"Hi."

She smiled as he greeted her with a small hug. "Hey."

"Thanks for seeing me. How are you?"

"I'm great. It wasn't a problem, its good to see you."

He smiled again, "likewise. So..." he nodded towards the shop. "Can we go in and talk?"

Kay nodded, "sure," as they walked inside. The two took seats on an empty lounge bench.

Daniel turned his full attention to Kay. "First off...are you hungry?"

Kay shook her head, "no I'm fine, thanks. So...what did you want to talk about?"

Daniel was a bit hesitant. "Look...Kay, I really like you."

She smiled, "the feeling's mutual."

He softly smiled before he continued, "I know we haven't even known each other that long, but sometimes...you feel a natural connection. I don't want to scare you or anything...but at the same time, I need to be honest with you. Something happened a few years ago...and when you mentioned your last name, things clicked. I should've been honest then, but I didn't want you to shoot me down...so I didn't say anything. But I want to be honest with you..."

He stopped as her noticed her expression. "...What's weird about this is that I think I already know what you're talking about."

"You do?" He was lost in confusion.

Kay slowly nodded her head, "a situation with your friends...and the police. Maybe...an old building..."

Daniel stared at her in shock, "how did you..." it quickly came to him, "...never mind. I guess your dad kind of is-"

"-Chief of Police..." Kay slowly nodded her head, looking down for a second.

"...I should give you the full story."

Kay nodded her head, "sounds good."

The two shared a brief laugh, before he began to explain.

"The year that happened was my sophomore year of high school. 4 other guys and myself made Varsity Football...and if you knew anyone at Central High School that knew me, they could tell you that playing football was a dream. Being on Varsity was another pretty big deal. But...there were players on the team who were angry that we beat out the competition...namely their friends that had tried out. So...they made us agree to a hazing."

Kay stopped him, "a hazing? Those are illegal, aren't they?How were they allowed to make you?"

Daniel continued, "well, to have reported it would've made things worse for us. Much worse. They mentioned no extremes, they just wanted us to _prove our worth_ as they called it. So they dared us to spray paint that old building two nights later."

She paused. "...All you had to do was spray paint it? But my dad said it went up in flames."

Daniel nodded, "it did. The guys who dared us decided to go with us. I guess they planned to have fun of their own, because they failed to mention that they had matches with them, and the spray paint they bought was highly flammable."

She shook her head, "I'm so sorry you got caught up in that. To think that you were only there because you wanted to play football."

Daniel shrugged, "yeah, well...I guess I learned my lesson. No more hazings."

The two laughed again, each nervously looking away. A moment laterhe spoke. "Kay..." she looked up into his eyes again. "I hope this doesn't mean that we can't see each other anymore."

She reached over and took his hand. "Not at all."

He smiled, giving her hand a gentle squeeze and she returned the smile.

"So...now that we got that out of the way...I've got a question for you."

He nodded, "absolutely," and waited for her to ask.

"How would you like to go to a wedding?" Kay watched his expression and couldn't help laughing.

Daniel wondered, "should I ask...whose wedding?"

She laughed again, "sure. My cousin and my best friend are getting married in a few weeks, and I was wondering if you'd like to be my date?"

Daniel smiled, "I'm flattered. And I'd like that."

Kay's smile brightened, "really? Great!" And the two shared another hug.

They drew away and Kay asked, "so, what's on your agenda for the rest of today?"

Daniel shook his head, "not much. I have to work on a few papers, but aside from that..." he shook his head.

She told him, "well then...you should get back home and get to work."

Daniel laughed, "yeah. That's probably a good idea. But I'm glad I got to see you today."

Kay nodded, "same here."

With that, the two stood up and headed for the exit. Once outside they lingered for a brief second. Daniel spoke first.

"Call you soon?"

Kay smiled, "sonds good to me."

The two shared one last hug, before they squeezed each other's hands. Daniel spoke again.

"See you soon."

"Okay. Bye."

And the two took their seperate ways.

**In the Next Chapter**

Kay returns home.

Fox confides in Theresa.

Theresa wants to take her recovery to the next level.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**At the Bennett's**

The front door opened and in walked Kay. She hung her coat up and walked towards the living room, where her family sat around talking. Once she came in, the talking slowly faded and died. Kay sat on the arm of the chair her mother was currently occupying. As she sat, Grace smiled, tapping her arm.

"So...how'd it go, Kay?"

She explained to them what Daniel told her. Everything that went down those 3 years ago that led to what happened that night. From Daniel making Varsity Football in his sophomore year, to the players' disappointment and threats, to the hazing they were forced to go through with. Lastly, she explained why the building had burned to the ground. Everyone, Sam especially, listened intently as Kay explained everything. Once she was finished, she looked around.

"...And that's what he told me. Dad, he had no idea what the others had in mind. Not him or any of the new players. But...well you know how it is. The pressure to _prove your worth_, and the consideration that when you got someone in trouble in high school, it was something no one would ever let you live down. When you consider the fact that his teammates were popular at Central High School...can you imagine the kind of threats that would've been made against him and the other players if they reported it? Hazing is illegal, right?"

Sam nodded his head, "yeah, it is. Not in all states, but I'm pretty sure Harmony doesn't allow it."

Kay shrugged, "that's the only reason you saw him that night. Varsity Football meant a lot to him, and he figured that after that one night, he might finally be considered a team member. But, lets say for a minute that he decided to report them forsomthing illegal. That could've resulted in what...the older guys getting kicked off the team? Maybe evensuspension? And those guys were highly popular. If it got back to the wrong person, and they found out who reported them...that would've put Daniel and the newer players in a tough spot, wouldn't it?"

Sam took that into consideration, "I can only imagine. I know how cruel teens can be. Yeah...there's no telling how bad it could have gotten."

She shrugged, "so you see...Daniel's a good guy. In fact he's a great guy. He was just-"

"-In the wrong place at the wrong time," Sam looked down. "I'm sorry, Kay. I wish I had given this situation the benefit of the doubt from the beginning."

"Its okay," she assured him. "We can start fresh. I just wish you could've seen the look in his eyes. As he told me...you could tell he was reliving that whole night. But it's a mistake he doesn't plan on making again."

A moment later, Kay walked to sit beside her dad on the couch. Taking his right hand, she told him again.

"Dad...despite what happened, he's a great guy. I really like him and I want to keep seeing him. I'd also like you guys to meet him, too."

He squeezed her hand, "You have my blessing." Kay smiled and hugged him. "And as much as you want us to meet him, so do we."

Her smile brightened, "in that case...you'll meet him a lot sooner than you think."

Sam gave her a look, "what do you mean by that?"

She fessed up, "well...I invited him to the wedding," she quickly turned, "Charity, I hope that's okay?"

Charity smiled, "absolutely. I can't wait to meet him."

She turned to her father as he asked, "you did?"

"Yep," Kay smiled again, "and he said he'd like to. So...you guys will be meeting him real soon."

**At the Mansion**

Fox and Theresa sat in her room talking. They had pushed the awkward tension away, and agreed to the idea to wait in talking about their changing friendship.

"So let me ask you something," Theresa gave him a serious look.

He shrugged, "ask away."

"What's up with you and...what's his name...Ethan?"

Fox was slightly thrown, "what do you mean?"

Theresa shrugged. "You guys just seem tense around each other. Like when we got home from the hospital. While we were all in here...I got a bad vibe. Then I noticed the looks you guys were giving each other, before he left with my mother. I mean...did something happen between you two?"

Fox tried to shake it off, "its a long story. I'm not sure you want to hear it."

Theresa corrected him, "actually, I do. And as for long story...where exactly am I going to go?"

Fox couldn't hold back a laugh, "well when you put it that way..." and he paused.

Theresa shrugged, her expression turning serious, "what happened?"

He hesitated, before finally deciding to open up.

"I'll keep this as short as I can."

Theresa argued, "you don't have to do that. Just tell me whatever you can. When you want to stop I'll understand. I'm just curious."

He slowly nodded his head.

"Okay...to start off, I think it starts back to a few years ago. We found out that Ethan is...in fact not a Crane. Do you remember Kay and Jessica? They came to the hospital with their parents?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"Well their father is the Chief of Police, Sam Bennett. As it turns out, he's Ethan's biological father. I think its because of that, Ethan got the treatment he did when we were kids, while my sisters and I got the treatment that we did."

"What do you mean by treatment?"

"Well, I think its safe to say that Ethan was looked on as the favorite, because he was conceived by two people who were truly in love. And...because my sisters and I were a product of _our_ father and my mother...she just didn't show us the same love that she gave Ethan."

Theresa shook her head in confusion, "all because Julian was your father and Sam was his? That isn't right."

Fox shrugged, "well...lets just say, my parents can't stand each other. They tolerated each other for the twenty years that they were married, but they weren't in love."

Theresa asked him, "so why did they get married?"

"My grandfather...Ivy's father arranged for her to marry Julian, to keep her and Sam apart. My grandfather didn't feel that Sam was good enough for Ivy."

Theresa shook her head, "that's terrible. I'm so sorry, Fox."

Fox shrugged, "yeah...its okay. Anyways, um...as soon as they could, my parents shipped my sisters and I off to boarding school. I caused a lot of trouble, to the point where I was probably in a different school every few months. I guess I did it out of resentment towards my parents for the way my sisters and I were shown _love_. Anyways um...while I was back and forth between these boarding schools, I earned quite a reputation. And by no means was it a good one. It was mainly a bad reputation with girls."

Theresa slowly started to smile. Fox noticed and asked her.

"What're you smiling about?"

Her smile turned into a laugh, "Sorry, I couldn't help it. But in a way I think I'm catching on."

Fox asked her, "you do? How so?"

Theresa told him, "well, I'm guessing that reputation reached home. So your family...including Ethan found out. Once you came back and we bonded the way we did...I don't know. Maybe for whatever reason...he's just being protective."

Fox slowly smiled, "wow. You catch on quick."

"But there's one thing I don't understand."

"What's that?"

"Why would he care? It isn't exactly his business that we're friends...or that we could become more. Its not like he and I were ever involved before, right?"

Fox froze once she asked him that question. "Um..."

Theresa noticed his expression and pressed, "Fox, come-on...Ethan and I weren't involved, right?"

Fox hesitated, but was saved by a knock at the door.

"Oh great," Theresa hid her disappointment. "Um, come-in", and in stepped Pilar.

"Hi, you two. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Fox smiled, "hi, Pilar."

Theresa also spoke, "hey, mama. No, its fine. Come-on in."

Pilar walked over and greeted Fox with a hug. She then hugged her daughter and sat on Theresa's other side.

"How are you feeling, mija?"

Theresa nodded, "you know, I'm feeling a lot better. In fact, I've made a decision."

"What's that?"

Theresa told her, "I think...that I'm ready to take my recovery to the next level."

Pilar looked confused, "next level? What do you mean?

Theresa looked her mother in the eyes, "I think I'm ready to try crutches."

**In the Next Chapter**

Kay and Daniel go out.

Gwen and Theresa have a heart-to-heart.

Ethan and Fox finally come to an understanding.

**A/N**: Okay, I know this one was also short. I ended it this way to set the next chain of events in motion for the next chapter. I also focused on Kay and Daniel a bit in these last two chapters, because I wanted to get that story going and caught up. I don't want to focus too long on one story, especially when it can be solved quicker.

In addition, I don't want this story to become too long, so every couple of chapters I'm going to skip ahead in time...and the time lapses will vary. It could range anywhere from a few days, to a few weeks, or months; but at the moment I think that 3-4 months will the maximum limit. Chapter 17 will be the first chapter where a time lapse occurs. The time gap from here to Chapter 17 will be about a week, possibly a week and 2 or 3 days. I just wanted to let you guys know in advance so that there's no confusion.

Also, I hope I made it known that Chapter 14 was a pretty big turning point in Fox and Theresa's relationship. At this point in the story, their feelings are there and both know it. The next few chapters are really going to focus on them getting together. Of course, I'll have other stories for the other characters going, but I'm definitely going to start to focus on those two.

Lastly, I apologize for this delay as well. I think I mentioned in one of the previous chapters, that I was heading home soon and didn't have access to a computer. It took a while but since then, I've come up with a plan. My school is about a 10 minute drive away, and at the library I have plenty of access online. So every 2-3 days, I'll be there to continue to update this story. Anyways, 17 will be up soon. If not today, since the university library closes at 4pm, and its currently 3:00pm, it should be up early next week. Monday or Tuesday at the latest. Til then, tell me what you think.


	17. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

**To all those who have read the story up to this point, I'm not sure how I can apologize for being away so long. I didn't intend to disappear for almost a year, especially given where I left the story off. In my case, a number of obligations kept me longer than I had intended to be away. I was hoping they wouldn't, because I knew what direction I was going to take this story, and I'm terribly sorry it took me so long to get back here. **

**In the last chapter I posted before my long absense, I mentioned my idea of visiting my school's library every couple of days to update chapters. That would have worked then, until work kept me wrapped up for most of the summer afterwards. Once I was free of work, it was back to school full-time, and work part-time. So unfortunately, as much as I hated to do it, I had to push this project onto the backburner. **

**I think that the only bright side to my long absence was finding time to work on future chapters, which is something I've found time to do in recent weeks. So, in the next 24 hours, I'll be posting the newest chapter, which should be 17. Feel free to leave reviews; in fact at this rate, I don't even care if they're flamed responses because I took so long. Just let me know what you think. **

**I guess what I'm attempting to say is that if I haven't completely lost those who were still interested in where the story was going, I'm going to keep working on it. I would make a promise that this should be the last delay, but after breaking that promise once in one of the earlier chapters, I decided that that's probably not the best idea. But I will say that I'm going to keep working on this story, in hopes of a delay like this not happening again.**


	18. Chapter 17

**Okay, before I dive right in, I just want to mention one last reminder. Between Chapter 16 and this one, a time lapse of 9 days has gone by. (Minus the near year it's taken to post this). **

**At the moment: Kay and Daniel are dating; Fox and Theresa are pursuing a relationship; Luis and Sheridan, and Whitney and Chad are waiting until after the wedding to let the truth out to Antonio and Simone. Lastly, it looks like Ethan might have made a decision regarding his feelings about Fox and Theresa. At least for now. Anyways... on to Chapter 17.**

**Chapter 17**

**At the Mansion**

Fox and Theresa sat in the family room, laughing at one of his jokes.

"I didn't know you were so funny."

Fox teased, "well, I've got news for you. There are a few things you don't know about me."

"Well there's one thing I'd like to know."

"What's that?"

Instead of a spoken response, Theresa initiated a kiss. Fox leaned closer and deepened it. A few moments later she drew away.

"Did you get the answer you were looking for?"

"Great answer, actually. But I think I want to ask again."

Fox laughed, "be my guest," and with that he initiated the next kiss. He pulled her a little closer and deepened it further. Unfortunately, they were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

"Sorry to interrupt you two..."

Fox reluctantly drew away with a groan. Theresa giggled, cupping his cheek in her hand.

"Hang on," she turned around. "What's up, Gwen?"

Gwen stepped forward. "I'm sorry..." her voice came hesitantly. "But, Fox...Ethan's asking to see you in the library."

"Is he?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind."

Fox turned back to Theresa, who encouraged him. "Go."

He was reluctant, but gave in. "If you insist, but I will be back."

He gave her a quick kiss goodbye before he stood and faced Gwen. "Thanks, Gwen."

She smiled, "not a problem," as he walked past her towards the library. She moved to sit with Theresa.

"Hey, there. How are you feeling?"

"I'm good, thanks. How are you and the baby?"

Gwen touched her stomach, "We're doing great, thank you. So it looks like you two are getting pretty close."

Theresa shrugged, "I guess so. At first I thought we were moving a little quick..."

"But now..." Gwen prompted her.

"...Now, it feels right. And it may be soon to say, but I can see this becoming long-term."

**Out on the Town**

The doors to _Sylvia's_ opened and Kay and Daniel stepped in. _Sylvia's_ was a fairly new restaurant in the town of Harmony. The owner, Sylvia Davis, was a life long friend of Daniel's parents. She had been his mother's college roommate, and they kept in touch for years. Sylvia had even promised to keep an eye on him, once his family left for California. The restaurant had only been around about 2 years, but was doing well for itself. Daniel figured a change in atmosphere would be nice, so he made reservations. Once inside, the two were soon ushered to their table, where a bouquet of flowers was already sitting. Kay turned to Daniel, who smiled.

"You didn't?" She asked him with a smile.

"You like them?" He asked as she thanked him with a kiss.

"They're gorgeous. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I was going to bring them with me when we met up, but I thought this might surprise you more."

Kay laughed, "thank you. That was sweet."

Setting the bouquet slightly to the side, she looked around.

"This place is gorgeous."

"I'm glad you think so."

"How'd you find it? I've lived in Harmony my whole life and I can't say I remember this restaurant."

"That's because it's still pretty new. The owner, Sylvia Davis, she and my parents go way back. They helped her to get this place up and going about 2 years ago. Since then, I think things have been good for her."

Kay smiled, "that's great. Do you know if she'll be here?"

Daniel shrugged, "she might be, but the chances are slim. She also co-owns a Day Spa, it's not far, but closer to where she lives. So she's usually there during the week. She's here usually on the weekends only." He almost jumped as someone touched his shoulder.

"Except now!"

Hearing a familiar laugh, he turned around. "Sylvia! Hey!"

The brunette-haired, green-eyed woman smiled at the boy who she had considered the _son she never had_. They shared a hug, and then she sized him up.

"How are you, kid? You look good. It's been a while."

"Yeah, it has. You're looking great."

"Thanks. The benefits of that Spa are paying off, I must say."

The two laughed, when Sylvia noticed Kay. "And who is this lovely young lady?"

Daniel took Kay's hand to help her stand up. As the women shook hands, he made the introductions. "Sylvia, this is Kay. We've been dating for a while. And Kay, this is Sylvia."

Kay laughed, "it's nice to meet you."

Sylvia smiled, "nice to meet you, sweetheart." She turned to Daniel, "she's gorgeous. Hold onto her, kid."

Daniel smiled, staring at Kay, "I intend to."

Kay turned to him and smiled back. Sylvia smiled between them, before Daniel asked her.

"So, what are you doing here? I thought you'd be up at your Day Spa?"

"Manny and Kendra are there. I didn't need to stick around. So I figured I'd stop by."

Daniel told her, "well, I'm glad you did. I wanted you two to meet sooner or later."

Sylvia laughed, "I'm glad we did. And hey, I'll just be in the office. You two have a great evening, but come see me before you leave."

Daniel leaned down to hug her. "I promise. You take it easy."

"I always do," she then hugged Kay, "it was nice meeting you, dear."

"You too. I hope to see you again soon."

Sylvia told her, "I'm sure we will. You two have fun."

At that, she walked back towards the office. Daniel and Kay sat back down, Kay beaming.

"She seems really cool. I like her."

Daniel smiled, "she's great." He nodded. "She likes you, too. I can definitely tell."

"You think so?"

"Know so."

**At the Mansion**

Ethan stood in front of a bookcase, scanning over the novels. He turned as the door to the library opened. Very slowly, Fox walked in. Closing the door, he turned to face Ethan. His hands found his pockets as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Gwen tells me you wanted to see me."

Ethan walked over to the couch and stood against it. Folding his arms over his chest, he nodded.

"Yeah. Um...look Fox, we haven't exactly had the smoothest history growing up together."

Fox blinked. "Together? Ethan, when we were old enough, my sisters and I were off to boarding school. You always were here. I don't think we saw enough of each other to _have_ much of a history."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about. We were put up with. You were the Golden Child."

"Okay, look...I didn't want to talk about our lives growing up. I wanted to talk about what's going on now."

"You mean with me and Theresa?"

Ethan hesitated. "...I know you think I'm jealous...because everyone in this town seems to think that I'm still in love with her. That's not it. I just-"

"-Who are you trying to convince? You can honestly look me in the eye and tell me you don't still have feelings for her...?"

He hesitated again. "...Fine. Initially, I wasn't ready to see her move on. But eventually I realized that there's not much I can do. The biggest reason was that I didn't want to see her get hurt."

Fox argued, "I wouldn't hurt her. I don't think you realize how deep my feelings go. I just wouldn't."

Ethan slowly shook his head, "I may be crazy for saying this but...a part of me is almost believing this. Almost believing you when you say that."

Fox kept quiet as Ethan sorted his thoughts. "I just need to time to get used to it. To do that...I guess I need to step aside."

Fox asked him, "do you really think you can do that?"

Ethan shrugged, "I think that's my only option."

The room went silent, as both men stared at each other, seeming to come to a silent agreement with their eyes.

**In the Next Chapter**

Eve visits the mansion.

Simone questions Whitney.


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**At the Mansion**

Shortly after his conversation with Ethan, Fox went back to the family room with Theresa and Gwen. The three of them were now talking. Ethan was still in the library. Pilar and Eve stepped in from the hall.

"Theresa."

The three of them turned.

"Mama. Dr. Russell, hi. What are you doing here?"

Eve greeted them, before explaining. "Your mother called me a little while ago, and told me you wanted to try crutches."

"She did?"

Eve nodded, "once she told me, I took a little while to look over your vitals and see how well you can handle a transition."

Theresa was optimistic, "I hope they were good results?"

"In fact they were. The rest you've been getting is helping."

"Does that mean I can start walking?"

"Well I'd like to run one more test to make sure you're okay to handle the switch. But we'll see if we can make it work. In order to do this test, we'll have to make an appointment for you to come to the hospital."

"If you can do the test once we get there, I'll go now. Is that okay, mama?"

Pilar smiled, "it's fine, mija. If you're up for it."

"Absolutely," Theresa nodded her head, turning back to Eve.

"In that case," Eve spoke again, "lets get you prepped to go."

**At the Russell's**

Simone angrily sorted through laundry, that image of Whitney and Chad burned in her mind.

"Dammit, Whitney! Of all the guys in the world, why did you have to go after Chad?"

She tossed more clothes in her laundry bin. Then she stopped, coming up with an idea.

"As long as he's still here, I could make things interesting."

She took the basket and left her room. Walking downstairs, she turned the corner to an empty living room.

"Great, where'd they go?"

She walked to the laundry room, passing Whitney in the kitchen.

"Whit?"

Whitney put down her glass of juice, smiling at her sister.

"Hey, you're home. Did you have a good time with the Bennetts?"

"Yeah. When did you get here?"

"About five minutes ago. Came in for a drink." She noticed the laundry basket, "getting laundry done?"

Simone shrugged, "yeah. I figured I might as well. What about you? What are you up to?"

"Not much. I might stop by and see Theresa a little later."

"Cool. How is she doing?"

"A lot better from the looks of it."

"That's good. So are you going to see Chad after?"

She noticed Whitney fidget. "What would give you that idea?"

Simone shrugged, "just curious, I guess. Are you?"

"No. I don't have a reason to."

_'Really? No reason at all, huh?'_ Out loud, Simone spoke. "Whatever you say."

She started for the laundry room, but Whitney stopped her.

"Honey, wait a second. Where did that come from?"

"I just thought I'd ask. So what, you two are just friends?"

Whitney felt guilt wash over her. "Yeah. Just friends."

"And you're sure about that?"

"Positive."

Simone stared Whitney dead in the eyes. Whitney maintained eye-contact, guilt bubbling. Eventually, Simone broke eye contact and headed for the laundry room.

"...Okay."

Whitney watched her leave, and ran her hands through her hair. "God, how do I keep this going?"

**At the Hospital**

Eve had Theresa hooked up to a machine, while she sat on a hospital bed. Fox by her side, and Pilar at the foot of the bed.

"This is a skeletal alignment test. It will tell us how well your spinal cord has realigned itself, and how well you can handle being on your feet again."

Theresa was antsy. "Whatever you have to do."

Eve smiled as she set things up. "This next move might be difficult. For the machine to monitor you properly, I need you to sit as straight as you can. It won't take long."

Theresa slowly nodded her head, when Fox squeezed her hand. "I got you. Just let me know how I can help."

Fox repositioned himself, so that one leg was propped on the bed. This way, he completely faced Theresa, to help her keep steady. Theresa guided his hand to the small area of her back, and slowly sat up. She felt some awkward pressure, but soon, the feeling passed. Pushing the power button, Eve waited for the machine. A minute passed, and it beeped. Eve grabbed her clipboard and took notes from the readings. The others waited in anticipation as Eve looked over the results she was getting.

"According to these readings, your recovery is really coming along."

Theresa slowly came to a conclusion, "...so does that mean I'm strong enough to be on my feet?"

Eve smiled, "from the looks of things, yes, I think you're ready."

At that, Eve reached over and grabbed the crutches that were leaned against a table. Before handing them over, she turned to her patient.

"Now Theresa, I know you're ready to be on your feet again, but before we continue, I need you to promise me something. For at least the next two weeks, you won't try walking unless someone is with you at all times. You're strong enough to handle the transition, but it's twice the pressure doing this on your own, and I don't want that. I want as little pressure as possible while you're getting used to this. So in front of these two I want to hold you to that. Unless someone is with you, no walking."

"I promise. Only if someone is with me," Theresa nodded her head.

"Okay. Then we'll give this a try. Just take it slow."

Fox stood to help Theresa stand up. Again, standing and straightening her back met with short-lived pressure. As she adjusted, the pressure faded. Fox kept his hand on her back as guidance, while she got comfortable. Looking up slowly, she nodded her head.

"I'm okay. Can I try a little walking?"

"As long as you're careful. With us around it should be okay. Just take your time."

"Okay," Theresa adjusted.

"Theresa," Theresa looked to her mother, who was now standing about eight feet away. "Walk towards me."

Eve stood somewhere in the middle, just as precaution. Meanwhile Fox walked with Theresa every step of the way. It took her some time, but eventually, Theresa reached Pilar who greeted her with a hug. Fox brought a supportive hand to Pilar's shoulder, and rubbed Theresa's back. And Eve watched on, smiling. Pilar spoke as she held her dauguhter.

"Thank you, Eve. Thank you so much." Theresa and Fox were next to thank her.

"You're very welcome," Eve answered with a smile.

**In the Next Chapter**

Julian and Pilar talk.

Daniel gets a phone call.

Fox and Theresa find a little more alone time.


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

**Outside of the Bennett's**

Daniel and Kay walked up the steps to her front the door with reluctance. They stopped, turning to look at each other, neither ready to say goodbye.

"So I'll see you later?" Kay asked him.

"Absolutely. How about I give you a call?"

"Sounds good."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

They leaned in and were lost in the moment as they "said" goodbye. A few moments passed before they reluctantly drew away. Kay groaned.

"Now for the part I hate most. Having to say, _'bye'_."

Daniel joked, "so it's not just me. You don't like it either?"

Kay laughed, "not really. But it's okay. I'll see you soon, right?"

"I hope so," he gazed into her eyes. They leaned in for another kiss. Again, reluctant, they drew away. Daniel took a few steps back, and started down the steps.

"See ya, pretty girl."

Kay smiled, sliding her housekey into the keyhole. "Bye."

He smiled again, before he walked off and was eventually out of sight. Kay smiled after him, and took in a deep breath. Squealing, she slowly made her way inside. Walking into the family room, she looked around at eager faces. The t.v., as far as she could tell had been muted, once they heard her coming inside. She giggled, walking over to sit on the arm of the couch next to her father. He laughed, as did the rest of her family.

"I take it things went well."

Kay smiled, "I like him so much. I can't wait for you guys to meet him. You're going to love him."

Her mom spoke, "honey, as long as you're happy, you've got no arguments from us."

Kay laughed, "if that's the case, I'd say this is about as close to a perfect match, as you two."

"You really think so?" Her dad couldn't help asking.

Kay shrugged, "I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I hope so."

**In Town**

Daniel was halfway home, still smiling. He remembered telling Kay the first time they talked at the Book Cafe, that he was glad he stayed in Harmony. As time passed, that statement came to be more true. He really liked her, and could see this becoming long-term. He wasn't going to rush things, but he knew he didn't want another guy getting a chance to sweep her off her feet. He thought about that, as his phone rang. He giggled.

"Is that you already?"

Reaching inside his pocket, he glanced at the number and stopped walking. He knew it was an out-of-area code for sure, but otherwise, didn't recognize the number.

"Who in the world?"

Hitting the talk button, he brought his cell to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey you."

"Amanda??"

**At the Mansion**

Fox, Theresa and Pilar had gotten back about half an hour ago. The two sat with Gwen in the family room again. It wouldn't be long before they'd hear footsteps round the corner.

"Guys?"

They all turned.

"Ethan. What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "Nothing's wrong. Um, is Pilar around?"

"I'm right here, Ethan," Pilar walked in from the other hallway.

"Great," Ethan turned to her. "When you have a minute, Julian wanted to see you."

"He's in the library, right?" Pilar folded her arms over her chest.

"Yeah."

"Thank you, Ethan," Pilar headed past him in that direction.

"Ethan, are you feeling okay?" His wife asked him.

He slowly nodded his head, "yeah. I'm okay."

She waved him over. "Then come join us."

Ethan hesitated, but eventually approached. Sitting with his wife, he glanced over at Fox and Theresa, who were smiling at each other.

**In the Library**

Julian sat in the library at his desk. There were papers around, and he stared at the small stacks around him when there was a knock at the door, followed by its slow opening. He stood to his feet, as Pilar walked in.

"Julian. Ethan said you wanted to see me."

Julian stood to his feet. "I did. Thanks for coming in. I won't take much of your time. I was thinking about something." Pilar waited, as he asked her. "How do you think your son and his fiancee' would feel, relocating their reception?"

It took a moment, but things clicked. "You mean here to the mansion?"

Julian nodded his head, while Pilar shrugged, "I don't know, I'd have to call and ask him."

"Why don't you?" Julian suggested. "I know renting the place came with a discount given the occasion, but it must have been expensive. I talked with management. If you have to make a cancellation, but do it with at least 90 days notice, there aren't fees-"

"-Uh...unfortunately Miguel and Charity are getting married next week," Pilar reminded him.

"Oh, I know," he continued. "But the one exception to that, is if they can find another party to book. And in fact, there was another party hoping to book the Community Center the same day for a family reunion. Because that party is almost the same size, the owners could book them and give you a 75 refund. With that money, you could apply it elsewhere and have the reception here."

Pilar took a moment to take in everything he said. "Julian, I don't know what to say. That's incredibly thoughtful of you. I can't believe you'd actually be willing to do that." After a brief pause, she shrugged. "If it's okay with them, and Sam and Grace, it's fine with me. Let me just call to make sure."

She turned to step out, but faced him once more. "Thank you, Julian."

He nodded, "you're welcome."

As Pilar turned to step out, Julian reclaimed his seat and reached for the phone.

**In Town**

Daniel stuttered, "Amanda?? Is that you?"

He tried hard to hear, but her voice was cutting in and out. He heard a slight laugh.

"Yeah, it's me. How have you been?"

He was still lost. "Wait a...I'm sorry. This just...this is kind of out of nowhere. On top of that, I'm not getting good reception."

"Yeah, you're kinda choppy on this end, too. But, how have you been?"

"I'm alright, I just...I'm sorry. You caught me off guard. The last time we talked must've been over a year ago."

"Yeah, I know. That's largely my fault, I guess. It's been a long and crazy year. I don't even know where to start."

Daniel glanced at his watch. "Look...right now isn't really-" the reception jumped some more, as she started to speak.

"But how have you been? I remember you mentioned a move to California. How's the weather?"

"I wouldn't know. I'm still in Harmony."

"You are? Why?"

"Jason and I decided to stay here and go to HU. We made a compromise with the parents, so we're still here."

"That's cool. How's school coming?"

"Not bad actually. But you know...curiosity is killing me. How did you get my number?"

"I've always had it. I just didn't forget it. I got side-tracked. But I guess...I was hoping we could start fresh."

"Start fresh? What do you mean?"

"Well it wasn't planned or anything, but I...I'm-"

Silence followed. Then a click.

"Great," he thought out loud. "Lost the call."

He did a quick search for recent calls, and tried to redial the number she called him from. Unfortunately, the phone rang until he realized he probably wouldn't get an answer. Hitting _'end call'_, he slid his phone into his pocket and slowly started walking again.

**At the Mansion**

Ethan and Gwen had decided to head to their room, and Pilar was off to call Miguel. So for the moment, Fox and Theresa found themselves alone.

"So, did you want to stay here for now, or do you want to go back upstairs?"

Theresa shook her head. "I'm okay here right now. Unless there's a reason you wanted to go upstairs?"

Fox leaned his forehead in against hers. "Who knew you had such a dirty mind, Ms. Lopez-Fitzgerald?"

"Me?" Theresa pointed to herself. "I believe the suggestion to go up was your idea."

Fox laughed, "that is not what I meant."

"What did you mean?"

He shrugged, "I just wasn't sure if you'd be more comfortable on your bed or this couch."

She smiled, thanking him with a kiss. "You're sweet. And I'm comfortable right here."

He smiled back, sliding closer, "are you now?"

She laughed, "oh yeah," kissing him again.

From around the corner, Ivy watched on, an eyebrow raised. Shaking her head, she stood against the wall again.

"I can't let my son ruin his life. He may hate me, but I will not let him get involved with her. It won't happen."

While she disappeared, their kiss deepened, the both of them oblivious to Ivy having been there, plotting to put an end to whatever was budding.

**In the Next Chapter**

Pilar and Julian talk.

Gwen tries getting through to Ethan.

Gwen confides in Fox and Theresa.


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

**At the Mansion**

Ethan and Gwen stepped into their room, and Gwen closed the door after them.

"So?" She initiated the conversation.

Ethan looked at her expectantly.

"Did you get your thoughts settled? Or do you need more time?"

Ethan hesitated, looking down before he answered. "Gwen...sit with me, please."

She walked over to join him, and he took her hand. "I think so."

"You think?" she repeated him. "Ethan, I don't understand what you needed to work out in the first place."

"Gwen, if I could explain I could. But I don't think it matters anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm over it."

"A second ago, you thought you worked things out. Now you have. Which one is it?"

He assured his wife, "I've worked things out, Gwen."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

She stared at him, doubt in her eyes.

**At the Lopez-Fitzgerald's**

Once Miguel and his mother said their goodbyes, he picked up a bridegroom magazine and eyed the picture on the front. Picturing the bride and groom, as himself and Charity, he smiled.

"Very soon, you'll be Charity Lopez-Fitzgerald. I can't wait."

He smiled again, looking up as the front door opened. Luis and Hank walked in carrying folders. Miguel stood to greet them.

"Hey, guys. What're you doing back?"

"I think I left a file that we need for one of these cases," Luis explained as he searched the papers on the family room table.

"You were working on it in here last?" Miguel gestured around the room.

"I'm pretty sure I was in here. Why?"

"I did some cleaning earlier. I might've moved some things. If those papers aren't here, they should be in your room."

"That's fine, thanks. As long as I find them."

While he and Hank fished around, Miguel teased. "So Hank...I hope Luis hasn't worked you to death yet."

The guys laughed, but Hank defended him. "No, no. Your brother's just a good worker. I'm up for the challenge. That's why I signed up for this kind of work."

"Well then, better you than me." The guys laughed once more.

"Very funny," Luis spoke up. "Anyways, let's find these papers and get back to the station."

"I think I found one," Hank skimmed over a paper. "Yep, this is it. The others should be-"

"-Close by," Luis finished with a triumphant smile as he held up the other papers.

"Okay. We need to get back to the station," as Hank said that, he and Luis started for the door.

"See you guys later," Miguel called after them as he took his seat.

"Alright, see ya buddy." Luis and Hank were soon gone, and Miguel went back to his magazine.

**In The Library**

Julian was just putting the phone back on its receiver, when there was a knock at the door. Without looking up, he spoke.

"Come-in please."

Pilar soon stepped in, approaching his desk. She stopped about two feet away.

"Julian, I talked with them. They all wanted to thank you, and they're fine with it."

"Great," Julian answered, "so I can start making these phone calls?"

"Yes. And thank you again for everything. This means so much."

Julian shook his head, "it's not a problem."

"So I guess I'll see you in a little while when they call us for dinner?"

"You should. I still have some work to finish, but I might be done by then."

"Do you need any help?"

Julian laughed. "I appreciate the offer, but this is tricky paperwork. Most of it's for Crane. You'd probably lose interest quick. I'm ready to fall asleep myself."

Pilar hesitated as she slowly walked towards the door.

"Okay, if you're sure...but if you think of anything, don't hesitate."

He smiled again, "thank you."

"After that generous offer for my son and his fiancee', I think it's the least I can do."

"Well after the years of service you've provided for this family, I thought it was the least I could do."

Pilar was rendered speechless a moment. Slowly, she nodded her head, smiling again.

"Thank you, Julian."

"Thank you, Pilar."

At that, she stepped out to leave him to his work. While he got back to work, Pilar lingered outside for a moment.

"I guess some people really can change for the better."

**In the Family Room**

Fox had Theresa laughing again.

"I'm not sure who can be funnier. You in your comic mood, or my brothers at dinnertime, on special occasions."

"Well, I do try," he smiled at her. "To be honest, I'm not sure where this humor came from. I'm always the cunning, sly one...not really the funny one."

Theresa leaned in, "well if you ask most girls...myself included...we'll take funny over cunning any day."

"Is that right?" he asked her.

"It is," Theresa assured him, leaning in for a kiss.

Unfortunately, the moment was disrupted when Gwen walked in from upstairs. The two pulled away, turning to her.

"Hey, you two."

She fell into the armchair, reaching for a magazine. There was no missing the compassion in Theresa's eyes.

"Gwen, are you feeling okay?"

She shrugged. "I don't know."

"What happened this time?" Fox felt bad to think this way, but assumed it was probably Ethan.

"He insists that he's over whatever he was going through. But I think he's just saying that."

"What do you think he was going through?" Theresa was confused.

Gwen shrugged, "I wish I knew. I just need him to talk to me."

Fox spoke up again, "can I offer a little advice?"

"Please do," she prompted him.

"Just give him a little time to come around. _Whatever_ it is," he paused and they shared a look. "I'm sure he'll snap out of it."

"You know, giving him time was my original intention. But then I thought that if I stayed in his orbit, he'd come around."

"I know that seems like the right thing to do, but in fact it's the last thing I'd suggest. Sticking around kinda prompts him to tell you what you want to hear. Give him a little more time to sort his thoughts. When he's ready, he'll let you know."

Gwen attempted a smile, "thanks, Fox. That makes sense. And I appreciate that advice. I'll give it a try."

Fox smiled. "No problem."

* * *

**A/N:** My apologies for the delay. I could've sworn that I posted a few more chapters, but I guess something went wrong. In any case, I'll post the next three today. Before I do that, I should mention that I'm going to do another time lapse. Certain situations are set up accordingly, so they should flow properly, if I skip ahead a little bit. I'll be skipping ahead a week, to the night before Charity and Miguel's wedding. That should set the tone for the next handful of chapters. Let me know what you think. 


	22. Chapter 21

**A/N: Just a friendly reminder that the time lapse between this chapter and Chapter 20 is a week. The current time set is the night before Charity and Miguel's wedding day. Enjoy, and let me know what you think.**

**Chapter 21**

**At the Bennett's**

At 9:30 Monday evening, the girls sat downstairs in the family room, conversing over popcorn and movies.

"So, are you enjoying your last official night as a single woman?" Kay glanced at her cousin.

Charity shook her head. "I haven't been single for a few years. Tomorrrow just makes it permanent."

Kay gave her a look, and Charity eventually met her gaze with a giggle. "But yes, I am having fun. Thank you."

Jessica spoke next. "This is so weird. I can't believe you're going to be married tomorrow."

Charity assured her, "oh, I can," and the girls laughed again. "I love him so much."

"And he loves you," Simone assured her with a smile.

The girls fell into a comfortable silence, when Charity spoke again. "I wonder what he's doing right now..."

"Maybe the guys threw him a wild bachelor party," Jessica spoke up and her answer was met with more laughter.

"That better not be the case. He'll have some explaining to do come tomorrow," Charity warned.

The girls laughed, when Jessica tossed some popcorn at her.

"I'm just kidding, Char. Miguel's a good guy. I doubt its a wild bachelor party."

"And if that was the case, I guess I'll find out tomorrow during the interrogation," Charity grinned.

The girls laughed again, while she sipped her soda.

**At the Lopez-Fitzgerald's**

Miguel and Ethan, Luis, Hank and Fox, Chad and Antonio sat in the family room watching a hockey game. Pilar decided to stay with Theresa and Little Ethan at the mansion. Although she promised to be there in the morning, to help with breakfast. In the meantime, the guys planned to make the best out of what they called Miguel's last night as a "single guy".

Luis, drink in hand, gestured at the t.v. "Oh, come-on! What kind of shot was that? It was in!"

"Not quite, bro," Miguel chided in. "Close, but his aim was off."

"Yeah," Luis sipped his drink. "Snyder's been slacking lately this season. I wonder why?"

"That's a good question," Chad chided in. "Hasn't he been MVP 3 seasons straight?"

"Yep, that's him," Hank answered.

"Which makes me wonder why his performance is lacking in this game," Luis spoke again, grabbing a handful of popcorn.

"Well, even the greatest player can't have a great game every time," Miguel reasoned.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Luis mocked his brother with a playful smile. "Stay over there."

Miguel grabbed a handful of popcorn and threw it at his brother. "I am over here, thank you."

Luis gave him a challenging look. "You trying to start something?"

"Try me," Miguel shrugged.

Hank warned him, "buddy for your own good, I'm not sure taunting your brother is the best idea."

"Why not?" Miguel shrugged, "this could get fun."

"You've been warned..." Hank and the others watched Luis grab a handful of popcorn.

"You want a war, little brother?"

"Like I asked before. Is that a challenge?"

"Its whatever you _make_ it," he laughed, throwing a handful of popcorn in Miguel's direction at the word _Make_.

Miguel grabbed for more, "so it's like that?" and he threw a few more chips, every last one, hitting the intended target.

Luis jumped up, tossing more popcorn, "alright, you asked for it!"

He laughed as he and Miguel started throwing more food. The others laughed, watching the brothers go at it.

**At the Mansion**

Theresa and Whitney, Gwen and Sheridan sat downstairs in the family room, talking amongst themselves. Theresa grabbed for a chip and dunked it in the dip on the table before her.

"I can't believe my brother is getting married tomorrow. I feel like I've missed so much."

Whitney assured her, "no sweetie, it isn't like that. You'll get your full memory back with time."

"Yeah, Theresa don't worry," Sheridan assured her, "soon you'll be all caught up."

Theresa giggled, "I hope so," and the girls laughed with her.

"Til then why don't we see what's on t.v.?" Gwen brought the suggestion up.

Whitney shrugged, "sure. I'm up for a good movie."

"Yeah, same here," Sheridan chided. "What can we find?"

"What about the Notebook?" Gwen turned the t.v. on to the movie.

Whitney shrugged, "I've heard good reviews, but a few people are saying the love story is a little overwhelming."

Gwen laughed, "Whitney, the Romantic? Since when would love be overwhelming?"

"When you're lying to protect someone." Whitney blurted out.

"Whoa, Whitney. Run that by us again?" Theresa asked her.

Whitney looked around, "girls...if I tell you this..."

"It doesn't leave this room," Sheridan assured her.

Whitney slowly nodded her head, "...its Chad."

Theresa shook her head, confused. "You two are together, right?"

"We haven't gone public with it, but yeah."

"So what's the problem?"

"My sister, Simone. She got the wrong idea a while back, and now she's convinced herself Chad's her boyfriend."

"Whoa! Talk about awkward," Theresa spoke again.

"I know. We planned to tell her the truth after tomorrow. I'm just afraid she'll hate me for it."

Gwen assured her, "Whitney, you can't let that stop you. Honesty is the best way to go. She'll be hurt for a while, but eventually, she'll come around. But like I've been telling Sheridan, don't wait too long..."

Gwen stopped, once she realized what she had said. Unfortunately, Whitney and Theresa caught on.

"Like you've been telling Sheridan...what does that mean?"

Gwen quickly turned, "Sheridan, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for that to come out."

Sheridan shook her head, "its alright. The truth was bound to come out eventually. Besides, Whitney was able to confide in us. I don't see why I can't do the same. I'm tired of carrying this on my shoulders."

Whitney touched her shoulder, "what's wrong? What are you two talking about?"

Sheridan hesitated, glancing at Theresa. "Theresa, you won't like what I'm about to say, but..."

"It's okay, Sheridan. Whatever it is, I'm sure you have something figured out."

"I do. In fact I think Whitney and I had the same idea in mind. Waiting until after tomorrow."

"For what?" Theresa was curious.

"To tell Antonio that I love him...but I'm in love with Luis. He's the man I want to spend my life with. I want Antonio to find someone who will love him like he deserves to be loved. I care for him, I really do...but my love for Luis is much stronger. And I can't live a lie anymore."

She hesitated, before she met Theresa's gaze again. Theresa slowly offered a supportive smile, and nodded her head.

"It's okay. I'm glad you care for Antonio enough to want to be honest. And you're right. It may hurt for a while. I can see how much he loves you. But if your heart belongs to Luis...it'll take time but he'll learn to accept it. In the end, I'm sure he only wants you to be happy anyway."

Sheridan leaned over to hug Theresa. Theresa offered a supportive squeeze, and moments later, the two drew away.

"Thank you so much. You have no idea how good it feels to know that you could offer an answer like that. Thank you, Theresa."

"You're welcome," Theresa offered a smile.

**In the Next Chapter**

Kay gets a phone call.

Pilar walks in on something unexpected.

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up. Our computer suggested a Recovery of some sort, because of something that was downloaded, I guess. That was almost two weeks ago. We chose the option that would save all our existing files, except that when the computer went through Recovery, for the next two weeks almost, we had trouble finding our files. I considered writing a different author's note to let you guys know I might be delayed, (because I would've had to start over) until my sister's boyfriend found them when he got on the computer (bless his heart). Anyways, sorry for the delay, but in this case, it was literally out of my control. I was ready to update, until I thought the computer had crashed. But anyways, the next chapter will either be up later today or tomorrow.


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

**At the Lopez-Fitzgerald's**

The living room was covered in crumbs of popcorn, since the guys were wasting more than they were eating.

"Oh my God!"

They all stopped, frozen in place, at the sound of that voice.

"What have you all done in here?" The voice managed to laugh. "It's a mess!"

The guys turned around to face Pilar.

"Hey, mama. What're you doing back?" Luis asked her.

"I forgot a few things when I left earlier," she folded her arms over her chest, still smiling. "I'd ask if you're having fun, but I guess I already know the answer."

"Don't worry, mama," Miguel assured her, "we were just-"

"-Having fun...I know. I was your age once, mijo."

As she started for her room, she continued walking, "as long as this room is spic and span by tomorrow morning when I get back to help with breakfast, you guys are okay. Just don't break anything, please. Some of this porcelain is very special to me."

"We promise, Pilar," Fox assured her with a wink. "Is Theresa okay?"

Pilar smiled at him, "she's fine. Before I left, she and the girls were watching a movie. They'll probably call it a night soon."

He smiled back, when she asked, "and how about you guys? Going to be up for a while?"

The guys looked amongst each other and shrugged.

"It's a possibility," Luis answered while the guys laughed.

"Alright now. Don't forget, you've got a long day ahead of you. Especially you, mijo," she patted Miguel's cheek.

"I know," he smiled at his mother.

"Anyways, you guys don't let me stop you. Carry on," and she was gone.

The guys looked around, at each other mostly, then at the mess they made.

"Ya know...I'd say that interruption was a good one. Maybe we should clean this up," Hank suggested.

Miguel hit the couch, "or maybe Luis can clean it up," and the guys laughed.

Miguel was answered with a pillow lightly hitting him in the face. Laughing, he threw it back at Luis as he spoke.

"Very funny, little brother. But I think Hank's right."

While the guys grabbed brooms, dust pans and the vacuum cleaners, Pilar stepped in from her room. She watched on and laughed.

"Are you guys all worn out already?"

Luis answered her, "no. We just figured now was a good idea while we still have energy."

Pilar smiled, "oh, I see." She looked around, "well have fun tonight. I'll see you guys in the morning."

The guys waved goodbye as she left. Then, they started cleaning.

**At the Bennett's**

The girls were heavily into a horror film that Jessica spotted. In fact they were so into it that they screamed when they heard a voice.

"Hey, girls."

They spun around to face Grace, who looked around at them and laughed.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. What are you all watching that's got you so jumpy?"

"It's called _They_," Kay filled her in.

Grace shivered, watching unfamiliar creatures swarm around a character. "Okay, I'm gone. Those things will give me nightmares," she smiled as the girls laughed, and made her way to the kitchen.

Then, the phone rang. Reaching over, Charity picked it up.

"Hello?"

After a minute, she smiled, "hold on one second," turning to her cousin. "Oh, Kay...I believe its for you."

Kay gave her cousin a look as she took the phone. "Thank you. Hello?"

"Hey, pretty girl."

She brightened, "hey, you. How are you doing?"

"I'm okay. Sorry to call so late. How are you doing?"

"I'm good. No, you're not calling too late. Um, right now I'm downstairs with my cousin, sister and best friend. We're watching _They_."

"I think I've heard of that one. What do you think so far?"

"It's watchable," Kay laughed. "What's up?"

"I was wondering where to meet you tomorrow."

Kay smacked her forehead, "oh my god, I'm so sorry. I can't believe I forgot to tell you."

"It's okay. I just want to make sure I'm there at the right time."

She smiled, "um...can you can meet us at St. Mary's tomorrow between...12:30 and 1?"

"Will do. I look forward to it."

"So do I."

"I'll let you get back to your movie, but I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright, see ya."

"Goodnight, pretty girl," and the two hung up.

Kay squealed with a slight laugh, as she handed the phone back to Charity, who put it on the receiver.

"He's meeting us there tomorrow?" Charity wondered.

"Yep. He'll be there between 12:30 and 1. I can't wait for you guys to meet him."

"I think we all feel the same way," Charity answered and the girls laughed.

Grace emerged from the kitchen, carrying a tray of snacks. She walked towards the stairs.

"Goodnight, girls. See you in the morning."

"Night," the girls spoke in unison as they turned back to their movie.

**At the Mansion**

Theresa and Whitney, Gwen and Sheridan had gathered blankets and were snuggled in front of the television, watching a movie of their own. They decided that when they were ready to call it a night, Theresa and Whitney would camp out in Theresa's room, and Gwen and Sheridan would stay in Gwen's room. At the moment, they were about 30 minutes into _Cabin Fever_, when Pilar stepped in.

"Hey, girls."

The women turned around, and smiled.

"Hey," they spoke in unison.

"How are you doing, Pilar?" Gwen asked her.

"I'm doing okay, thank you. How are you all?"

Sheridan smiled, "we're doing okay."

Pilar glanced at the screen, squirming as she watched a man cough blood onto a truck.

"Eww. Do I want to ask what you're watching?"

Theresa laughed, "its called Cabin Fever."

"Title sounds safe. But I guess looks can be deceiving. Watching that doesn't both you girls?"

Whitney shrugged, "nah. It's just fake blood and really good make-up."

"You can say that again," Pilar echoed, watching a group of kids set the man on fire.

"Okay, I think that's my cue," she laughed with them again, and started for the stairs.

"See you girls in the morning."

"Night," they said as they turned back to the screen. Right as they did, the phone rang.

Theresa reached over, as she was closest, and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hey, gorgeous."

She recognized the voice instantly, smiling. "Hey, handsome."

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing okay. How are you guys? Having fun?"

Fox laughed, "yeah, we're having fun. Just finished cleaning."

"Cleaning? You guys making a mess?"

"We did earlier. But with all of us here, the cleanup was quick. We'll probably call it a night soon. You girls having fun?"

Theresa looked around, "yeah, we're cool. We're watching Cabin Fever, eating popcorn and drinking soda."

"Sounds good. Then I guess I'll let you get back to your movie. Just thought I'd call and check in."

"Thank you, I appreciate it. So I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yep. Sweet dreams."

"Thanks, you too. Night."

"Goodnight," and the two hung up.

Theresa smiled as she placed the phone back on the receiver. She turned to three smiling faces, and laughed.

"Oh, get out of here!" and she laughed with them. "He was just calling to check in."

"That's sweet. You're really important to him, you know that?" Gwen spoke up.

"Well...I must say the feeling is mutual. I can't wait to see him tomorrow."

"I guess that's how we're all feeling about our guys," Whitney spoke up.

It was silent for a moment, before Theresa started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Sheridan asked her with a curious smile.

Theresa shrugged, "I have no idea right now," but she laughed a little harder.

Whitney grabbed a handful of popcorn, "ya know, she might just be in a goofy mood."

As she said that, she pelted her best friend with the popcorn she'd grabbed. Theresa squealed, retaliating with a few kernels. Whitney threw some more. Gwen turned to Sheridan and started laughing, only to be hit with kernels herself. She squealed while Sheridan laughed and shrugged.

"Sorry, it was a moment thing."

Gwen retaliated, "no problem. I'll just return the favor!"

As she said that, she and Sheridan turned to Theresa and Whitney, who turned to them. And they started a fight amongst each other.

**In the Next Chapter**

Charity and Miguel's wedding day begins!

**A/N: **Sorry for the delay, guys. I was in lazy mode today, so I didn't get online until about an hour ago. And I know the last 2 chapters were on the silly side. My apologies. I was trying to create lighter moods for the time being. Anyways, let me know what you think. Next chapter skips to the next morning.


	24. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

**At the Bennett's**

At 9:15 the family was in the kitchen, eating breakfast. Kay reached for the bottle of syrup to add to her pancakes, while Simone took a sip of her orange juice. Charity ate a piece of bacon and Jessica ate a forkful of eggs. Grace walked over to sit, patting her niece's back with a smile.

"Today's the big day, kiddo."

Charity squealed, "I know. I can't wait. It still feels surreal."

"Soon, you'll be Mrs. Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald," Jessica chimed.

Charity smiled from her cousin back to her aunt. Then, everyone looked up as the phone rang.

Grace stepped over to answer it. "Hello?" She smiled. "Sure, sweetie. Hold on one second. Charity?"

She handed the phone to her niece. "Thanks, Aunt Grace."

Grace took a seat, as Charity answered, "hello?"

"Good morning, bride-to-be."

She smiled, "Hey you. How are you this morning?"

"Ready to see you walk down that aisle."

Charity laughed, "I know. I can't wait either. But hang in there a few more hours."

"I will definitely try. I love you."

"I love you, too. When do you guys leave to go to the church?"

"Not for a few hours. How about you all?"

"About the same. We're eating breakfast now."

"Yeah, mama's in the kitchen, too."

After a brief pause, Miguel decided to let her go to finish breakfast. "But I'll see you at the altar."

"See ya there. I love you."

"I love you, too."

**At the Lopez-Fitzgerald's**

When Miguel hung up with Charity, he walked over to help his mother and Reese with the last batch of pancakes. The counter was already covered: three plates of pancakes and waffles, and three bowls of bacon, sausage links and biscuits. Fox, Hank and Chad helped around the kitchen, while Luis, Antonio and Ethan worked on last minute touches in cleaning the family room. Miguel turned as the phone rang again. Stepping over, he answered.

"Hello?" He did a quick scan around the kitchen. He found Fox and held out the phone. "Fox, this one's for you, buddy."

Fox repeated, "for me?" He took the phone. "...Hello?"

"Good morning, mister."

He smiled, "morning, gorgeous. How are you feeling?"

"Good. We're down in the kitchen for breakfast."

"Have you used the chair at all?"

"Nope. I didn't need to."

"Resa, that's awesome! I'm proud of you. You're working hard, aren't you?"

"I'm trying," she giggled and he smiled again. "You guys about to eat?"

He glanced over to see Pilar emptying the last batch of hot pancakes onto the plate Reese was holding.

"Yeah, looks like breakfast is done."

"Okay, I'll make this quick. I just figured that since you called last night, I'd return the favor."

"I appreciate that. I guess I'll see you in a few hours then."

"Sounds good."

"Alright, gorgeous. See ya later."

The two hung up, just as Luis, Antonio and Ethan stepped in from the family room.

"The room is spic and span, mama."

Pilar turned, with a soft smile. "Thanks, mijo. Perfect timing, because breakfast is ready. Help yourselves."

Hank spoke up, "okay, but ladies go first."

The guys agreed while Pilar smiled. "Thanks guys, but I've actually got to run to the mansion. They may need my help there before we leave to go to the church."

Miguel told her, "mama, I'm sure they can manage for a while. You've spent the last hour in here, over a hot stove. At least sit and have one plate with us. Please?"

"If you guys don't mind me sticking around..." Pilar looked around.

"Are you kidding?" Fox walked her to the counter to grab her a plate, "you're one of the coolest moms in Harmony."

"We second that," her sons chimed in and the guys laughed.

Pilar smiled from her sons to Fox, "I appreciate that. I guess I could stick around for a little while."

Once it was settled, a line was formed as everyone got breakfast.

**Two Hours and 45 Minutes Later...**

The guys stood in the living room, in their tuxedos and ready to go. Luis glanced at his watch and turned towards the hallway.

"Mama, it's 12:15. We should get a move on."

Moments later, Pilar emerged, putting in her other earring. "Sorry. Ready when you guys are."

"Mama, you look great." Miguel spoke first.

"Thanks, mijo."

"Where'd you find a gown like that?" Chad inquired.

"I ordered it online."

"Well, you look fantastic. Heads will turn," Hank noted.

"They better not," Luis gave his friend a look.

The guys and Pilar laughed. "Thanks, Hank. Now lets get going, guys. We've got a wedding to go to."

**At St. Mary's**

Sam, Grace and the girls stepped in and were greeted by David and John, who stepped out into the hall. They got instant comments on their gowns.

"You all look beautiful," John spoke.

"Thanks, John," they all answered.

"I second that," David added with a smile, lifting his camera. "If you all don't mind, I'd let to get some shots for the scrapbook."

The girls grouped together for pictures. After the fourth shot, the church doors opened again. Sheridan and Gwen, Whitney, Theresa and Phyllis, holding Little Ethan, stepped in.

"Charity, you look beautiful!" Theresa exclaimed.

Charity walked over to hug her. "Thank you, so do you. And you're walking! How do you feel?"

"I'm great. Walking fine on these things."

"That's terrific. I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Thank you."

Charity then hugged the others, all exchanging comments on their gowns. Then she turned to Phyllis, who was holding Little Ethan. She greeted Phyllis, and then smiled at Little Ethan in his outfit.

"Well aren't you adorable?"

Little Ethan smiled and then laughed. Everyone else laughed, when David asked to get a few more pictures. The women grouped together for more pictures. Around that time, the doors to the church opened again. In stepped Julian, Rebecca and Ivy, T.C. and Eve. T.C. and Eve greeted Sam and Grace, while Ivy and Rebecca found Gwen, and Julian stayed in proximity of Phyllis, Theresa and Whitney. After a few minutes of conversation amongst the adults, T.C. and Eve, Sam, Grace and David, and Rebecca and Ivy stepped inside of the chapel. As they were stepping in, the doors to the church opened, and in walked Pilar and the guys. When Pilar saw Charity in sight, she hurried to grab Miguel. Kay and Reese realized what she was doing, and rushed over. The other women saw Miguel and hurried to cover Charity, so that they wouldn't see each other. Charity realized what was going on and panicked.

"Oh no! Miguel, tell me you didn't see me!"

"...Huh?" was his response.

Everyone laughed, as Kay and Pilar started to pull him.

"Come-on," Kay insisted.

"What? Where are we going?"

"To the groom's room, come-on," she told him as she, Pilar and Reese led him down the hall.

Meanwhile, Simone and Jessica pulled Charity towards the bridal room. "Come-on. Let's get you out of sight," Simone spoke as they left. As Sheridan and Whitney took off with them, they made eye-contact with Luis and Chad, who smiled. They smiled at the guys, then turned to each other.

Sheridan whispered. "It's going to be okay."

"For you, too," Whitney assured her. They followed in pursuit to the bridal room.

Fox approached Theresa and smiled. She smiled back, as he gently took her into his arms and greeted her with a kiss. She cupped his face in her hands and was quick to respond. They cut the kiss short, but Fox kept her in his arms.

"Are you aware of how stunning you look?"

She gazed at him. "Minus the crutches, of course."

He assured her, "I must tell you, very few people look hot with crutches. I got news for you. You're one of those few."

She laughed, "thank you. You cleaned up nicely yourself."

"Thanks. How are you feeling?"

"Now that you're here, everything's great."

Fox smiled, kissing her again. Then he held her gently as they slowly walked into the chapel to take seats. Gwen watched them, softly smiling. She felt a hand grab hers and turned to face her husband.

"Ethan." He smiled.

"Hey. How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. How are you?"

"I'm doing okay."

She attempted a smile, "really?"

"Really," he smiled back, leading her into the chapel.

The doors to the church opened again, and Beth stepped in. She greeted Hank and Antonio, and then Hank escorted her inside. The others had already made their way inside where most of the guests were finding seats. The only one still out in the hall, Antonio took the same hall that Kay and Pilar dragged Miguel down.

**In the Groom's Room**

Kay straightened Miguel's bowtie, still laughing. "That was a close call. But your answer was hilarious."

Miguel smiled, "what're you talking about?"

"Huh? Is what I'm talking about." she laughed again.

"Oh. Well that's because the girls started screaming after I stepped in. You and my mom grabbed me, and by the time I was aware that Charity was in the room, I didn't hear what she asked me. That's when I said that."

"If you say so," she giggled again. "There. You're set to go," she fastened his bowtie.

He turned around in the mirror to give it a once-over. "Thanks, Kay."

"You're welcome."

A moment of silence followed, before Miguel spoke. "Kay, can we talk about something?"

She took her compact from her purse. "Sure, what's up?"

"I know the past couple of months have been awkward..." He stopped at a loss for words, but she saved him.

"I know. But don't worry. It took time but I'm finally past my feelings. I've accepted things for what they are. You're my best friend and she's my cousin. I love you both, and I'm glad that you two are happy."

Miguel softly smiled. "Thanks. That means a lot. I love you too, you stubborn little girl."

The two exchanged a laugh, when Miguel held his arms out. Stepping forward, Kay squeezed him. For a minute they just stood there. Then, he broke the silence.

"So what is this I hear about this Daniel guy?"

Kay couldn't stop the laugh that followed. "Don't worry, you'll meet him soon."

"I better. I look forward to scaring him off-"

Kay playfully jabbed him in the stomach. "You wouldn't dare."

He shook his head. "Maybe not with that menacing look you're giving me."

She laughed again, and while he smiled, the door to the groom's room opened. Luis stepped in.

"Hey, I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Not at all. We were just clearing some things up," Kay answered.

"Cool," Luis chimed, "well Kay, you've got a visitor."

Kay watched as Daniel stepped in behind Luis. She squealed as she ran over to greet him. He smiled, swooping her into his arms. Miguel and Luis watched on, smiling. Moments later they drew away, Kay greeting him with a kiss.

"How are you?"

"I'm great, how are you? You look amazing," he stared at her dress.

"Thank you. I'm doing a lot better now. You're looking great yourself."

He smiled again, turning to Miguel. "Thank you. Is that the best friend you were talking about?"

Kay spun around, "yes it is. Come-on," she led him over.

"Miguel, this is Daniel. Daniel, this is my best friend Miguel."

The two shook hands, and Daniel gave him a congratulations. "I've got something for you and the bride out in my car. I wasn't sure if I should wait to hand it to both of you or..."

Miguel smiled, "thanks, I appreciate it. You didn't have to do that."

"I figured it was the least I could do. Thanks for having me."

"Hey, the more the merrier. Glad you could make it."

After a moment, Kay spoke again. "Okay, we'll let you guys talk. Meanwhile, I'm going to introduce him around."

Daniel smiled, "sounds good." He turned to the brothers, "it was nice meeting you guys. Congratulations, Miguel."

"Thanks man, nice meeting you," Miguel answered.

"See you out there, Miguel," Kay chimed as she and Daniel stepped out.

**In the Bridal Room**

Since it was still early, about 12:45pm, and Charity wouldn't walk down the aisle for over an hour, the women were kicked back, enjoying conversations. While Jessica played with Charity's hair, the two of them, along with Simone and Eve, Grace and Pilar, Whitney and Sheridan talked amongst themselves. The conversation was cut short as the door to the bridal room opened. Everyone watched Kay step in.

"Hey, everyone. Got a little surprise..." She walked in, pulling Daniel with her. Grace stood first, smiling as she did so. Kay pulled him in, over to the crowd of women.

"Everyone, this is Daniel. Daniel, this is my mom Grace...my sister Jessica...my best friend Simone...and close family friends. Miguel's mom Pilar...Eve, my mom's best friend...Whitney, Simone's sister...and Sheridan, Antonio's wife. Antonio is Miguel's oldest brother."

Daniel shook hands with them all, smiling. "Nice meeting all of you. You all looks fantastic."

He was answered with a choir of, "thank-you's," when Grace spoke.

"Thanks so much for coming. Kay's been gushing about you. She had us so excited to meet you."

Daniel blushed, "and I was just as excited to meet you all. Thanks for having me. I know this was kind of short notice."

Grace assured him, "oh, not at all. How's your family doing?"

Daniel told her, "they're doing okay. They're off to a picnic today. My dad's job is hosting an annual family picnic, so they'll be there a while."

Charity spoke, "well, we're glad to have you here."

Daniel smiled, "thank you. You make a beautiful bride, by the way."

It was Charity's turn to blush, "thank you."

While Daniel was pulled into conversation with the women, Sheridan stepped over and grabbed Kay.

"Hey, Kay. Quick question."

"Sure, what's up?"

"Do you know if Antonio is with Miguel in the other room?"

"Unless he's there now, he wasn't when we left. But Luis is with him."

"Thanks."

Sheridan took off into the hall. Kay watched after her, confused. She quickly shrugged it off, turning back to the crowd. She watched on, smiling, as Daniel seemed to hit it off with everyone. He briefly turned to her and smiled. She held his gaze.

**Out in The Hall**

Sheridan approached the door to the groom's room when it opened, and Luis stepped out. She softly smiled, reaching out to touch his shoulder. He turned around and smiled as he laid eyes on her.

"Hey, you."

"Hey," her smile brightened.

"I didn't get the chance to tell you, you look amazing."

"Thank you. So do you."

He gave her a look, "you're joking, right? It's just the signature penguin suit."

She assured him, "you make it work."

A comfortable silence fell as they stared at each other. They were oblivious to the fact that Antonio was just around the corner, watching. He was going to reveal he was there, when he saw the door open. That is, until he watched his wife stop his brother in the hallway. He looked on as Luis shrugged.

"So today's the big day."

"Yeah, it is. Its almost hard to believe. But in a matter of hours, this will all be over. No more hiding, no more secrets. Just us."

Antonio watched as they embraced in a hug, before he turned the corner and stood against it. Shaking his head in disbelief, he spoke under his breath.

"Just us? What in the hell does that mean?"

**In the Next Chapter**

Charity walks down the aisle.

For images of the gowns...(As a side note, to get to these links succesfully, where you see the .coms, connect the letter 'C' with the dots.)

* * *

**Charity:** www.thebridalshop. com/bonny/733.html  
**Jessica, Simone, Kay:** www.thebridalshop. com/ForeverYours/77101.htm  
**Grace:** www.therosedress. com/dresses/cd/b/9002.html  
**Pilar:** www.edressme. com/ruffled-dress-630538.html  
**Theresa:** www.therosedress. com/rbmm/rb/1583.html  
**Whitney:** www.therosedress. com/dresses/as/c/PA628.html  
**Eve:** www.therosedress. com/dresses/fi/A/6034.html  
**Ivy: **www.therosedress. com/dresses/cd/a/9010.html  
**Rebecca: **www.therosedress. com/dresses/ig/c/311422/f.jpg  
**Gwen:** www.therosedress. com/dresses/lv2/4926.html  
**Sheridan:** www.edressme. com/dresses448br.html  
**Phyllis: **www.edressme. com/nicole-miller-bridal-01.html  
**Beth:** www.therosedress. com/dresses/cd/a/5026.html 


	25. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

**At St. Mary's**

It was 2:15 and Charity was to walk down the aisle at 2:30. As Kay applied the finishing touches to her cousin's make-up, she felt a hand run over her shoulder. She turned and smiled.

"Hey, mom."

Grace smiled, "He seems like a really great guy. I can see how happy you are."

"You have no idea. I really like him. And I can see this going somewhere."

"Well, you have a full blessing from us both."

"He met dad already?"

Grace nodded, "speaking of which, I think they're sitting in the chapel right now, talking about the latest in baseball."

Kay laughed, "why am I not surprised?"

Her mom smiled, "yeah, you know your father."

"All too well," they laughed again.

Grace gently squeezed her daughter's arm, and the two embraced in a hug.

"Thank you, mom. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome honey."

They drew away, and then Grace stepped around to observe her niece.

"And how's the blushing bride doing?"

While Kay smiled, lighting brushing Charity's cheek with her foundation, Charity laughed.

"I'm great. Ready to walk down that aisle."

Grace glanced at the clock on the wall. "From the looks of it, its just about time."

"I know," Charity beamed and the others laughed.

The door to the bridal room opened and Sheridan walked in. Whitney approached her.

"Where'd you disappear to?"

"I wanted to talk with Luis."

"So you two are still..."

Sheridan nodded. "we need to. The truth has to come out." After a brief pause she asked. "How about you and Chad?"

"I think-"

"-What about Chad?"

Whitney and Sheridan froze, as Simone stepped over.

**Out in the Hall**

Luis stepped out of the groom's room. "I'll be right back, buddy."

He turned the corner and jumped a mile when he saw Antonio standing there.

"Antonio? What're you doing out here?"

Antonio stared his brother down for a moment, recalling what he witnessed.

_"So today's the big day," Luis had shrugged._

_"Yeah, it is. Its almost hard to believe. But in a matter of hours, this will all be over. No more hiding, no more secrets. Just us," Sheridan had smiled at him, before they embraced in a hug._

Pulling back to reality, he looked Luis in the eyes, shrugging. "Just thought I'd take a walk around. Clear my head."

"Is everything okay?" Luis asked him.

"As far as I know."

"Alright. Well I'm glad I found you. Time to get Miguel inside."

Antonio's expression lightened at the mention of his baby brother, "is it already?"

"Sure is," Luis smiled as the two headed back to the groom's room.

**In the Chapel**

Up in the front row of pews, Sam and Daniel, and Pilar, Fox and Theresa sat. Sam and Daniel talked amongst themselves, as did Fox and Theresa. They watched Julian come to the front and whisper something to Pilar. Smiling politely, she made room for him to have a seat with her and they started up conversation. Fox raised an eyebrow.

"What on earth was that?"

Theresa giggled, laying her head on his shoulder. "Your guess is as good as mine."

He leaned down to kiss her, before he brought an arm around her shoulders. In the second pew, on the opposite side, Ethan and Gwen sat. Ivy and Rebecca were close by. Gwen spotted Fox and Theresa and glanced at Ethan, who tore his gaze away from them. He smiled when he caught her eye, and she smiled back. As she turned to the front, where Father Lonogan was standing, Ethan glanced back at Fox and Theresa. Meanwhile, Ivy was watching her son the whole time. She kept following his gaze over to them, and shook her head.

_'Oh, Ethan. Will you ever get that girl out of your system?'_

T.C., Eve and Chad sat in the row behind Sam and Daniel. Phyllis sat directly behind Fox and Theresa, Little Ethan in her lap. Next to her, Beth and Hank sat. David had taken a seat behind T.C., Eve and Chad, while John stood towards the back of the church, waiting for the girls. Several other guests, including friends of the family and the kids, were occupying seats in the remaining rows of pews. As the crowd got settled, Father Lonogan stepped forward.

"May I have your attention, please?"

The noise died down, as Father Lonogan continued. "The ceremony will begin in just a few minutes."

After he spoke, the door behind the congregation opened, and Miguel, Luis and Antonio stepped out. They walked over to stand next to Father Lonogan, each shaking hands with the man. As Miguel turned to observe the crowd, he took a deep breath.

"Wow, this is really it."

"Sure is, little brother," Luis smiled.

Miguel glanced down the hall, "all we're missing is the girls."

Pilar happened to catch her son's comment and walked over.

"I'll get them, mijo. Hang tight."

"Thanks, mama," Miguel watched her take off, grabbing Sam and John on her way out.

**In the Bridal Room**

Sheridan and Whitney stared at Simone, who shrugged. "What was that about Chad"

Sheridan brushed it off, "oh, we were just-"

The door to the bridal room opened, and Pilar stepped in. "Ladies, how are we coming? Everyone's ready out there."

The girls began to gather up, before Grace stepped over. "We're ready, Pilar. Thanks."

"Not a problem," Pilar smiled as she looked over at Charity. Stepping over, she hugged her.

"Sweetheart, you make a beautiful bride."

Charity brightened, "thanks...mom."

The women laughed, when Pilar told her, "I like the sound of that."

They exchanged another smile, when Grace kissed her niece's cheek. "We're so proud of you."

"Thanks, Aunt Grace."

"You ready?"

"I'm ready."

"Alright, lets get going."

With a cheer from the women, they all slowly started outside. Kay was the last one to step out, closing the bridal door after everyone. The women walked down the hall, and stopped just at the entrance of the chapel inside, where John, Simone's escort down the aisle Reese, Jessica's escort, and Sam were waiting.

"Reese!" She ran to greet him, and he smiled as he hugged her.

"Hey, gorgeous. How are ya?"

"I'm great."

Reese looked around at the others, "don't you all look terrific?"

He received a choir of thank-you's, before Pilar, Grace, Sheridan and Whitney stepped inside. Charity kept a safe distance back. Reese turned to Jessica.

"You ready?"

"Whenever you are."

He and Jessica took their positions at the entrance of the church, followed by John and Simone. Charity kept her distance, her heart racing. Inside the chapel, guests turned their heads as the music started to play. Luis patted Miguel's shoulder and then gently squeezed it. Miguel smiled from his brother, to the entrance as he watched Jessica and Reese start down the aisle. As Jessica passed her mom and Daniel, she waved and they waved back. Reese and Jessica parted ways with a smile, and Reese stepped over to Miguel, congratulating him with a hug. Then he stepped to the side, shaking hands with Luis and Antonio. Then, Simone and John started down the aisle. As Simone glanced at her family who smiled and waved at her, she noticed Chad sitting next to her mom, and Whitney sitting next to her dad, who blew a kiss at her.

_"Hmm?"_ She thought to herself.

Shrugging it off, she waved back, glancing up at John who smiled at her. She smiled back, and then they parted ways, taking their places at the altar. Then it was Kay's turn down the aisle, her eyes glancing around at all the guests. She waved at a few friends, as she continued down the aisle. She met her mom's gaze, smiled and waved, as her mom did the same. Then, she watched Daniel wave. Her smile brightened as she waved back. He winked at her as she took her place next to the bridesmaids. Then, the entire church stood as the music turned up. Miguel's heart raced as he watched Sam escort his niece down the aisle. She was a vision. She made eye-contact with him and they exchanged a smile. She glanced up to her uncle, who squeezed her hand. Charity glanced over at Theresa, who had tears in her eyes and waved. Charity waved back, and then turned to Pilar, who blew her a kiss. Charity winked, turning to her aunt who did the same. She waved, turning back to the front of the church, as she and Sam stopped walking. Sam shook Miguel's hand, and then conjoined his and Charity's hands. He placed his own hand over theirs.

"Take care of her," he told Miguel.

"Always," Miguel smiled at Charity again.

Stepping back, Sam walked over to join his wife who took his hand. Charity and Miguel smiled at each other, and as they approached the altar, he whispered.

"You look incredible."

She giggled, "thank you. So do you."

They reached the altar, where Kay took Charity's bouquet. Once everyone was settled at the altar, Father Lonogan spoke again.

"Thank you. You all may take your seats."

Once everyone was seated, Father Lonogan continued, "we are gathered here today, to join two in holy matrimony. To celebrate the joining of Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald and Charity Standish..."

**In the Next Chapter**

Charity and Miguel are pronounced husband and wife.

The reception is on.


	26. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

**At St. Mary's**

"By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Miguel, you may kiss the bride."

The bride and groom made it official with a kiss. Moments later they drew away, gazing into each other's eyes. Father Lonogan concluded.

"Ladies and gentlemen I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald!"

The crowd jumped to their feet in applause. The couple smiled and waved. Then, Miguel took Charity's hand and they walked down the aisle. The bridal party followed in step behind the couple. Guests stood to follow them out, and Pilar approached.

"Hey, you two. Julian has a car outisde. It'll take you to the reception."

Stepping into the hall, where guests surrounded them to shout congratulations, Miguel and Charity thanked Julian for his hospitality.

"It was my pleasure you two. Congratulations."

Then, Luis and Antonio opened the chapel doors wide. The newlyweds stepped out, and saw the limo at the curb. Turning to each other, he squeezed her hand.

"Shall we?"

"Lets go," she smiled.

They started down the steps of the church, and rice and confetti were tossed. Reaching the limo, they stepped in. Miguel closed the door and turned to kiss his wife. They looked out the window, waving again at the guests who watched them drive down the road.

**Thirty Five Minutes Later...At the Mansion**

Guests sat eagerly, waiting for the arrival of the bridal party. At the moment, the attendees were sitting in an enclosed canopy Julian had reserved for the reception. The contained space was comfortably adjusted to accomodate all the guests and the food, which was off to the side. And, due to the temperatures outside, the climate control was set to a comfortable 75 degrees. Tables were decorated with black table-cloths. Each table held a glass vase of roses and confetti was lightly sprinkled on each table. For the buffet, choices ranged from pasta to roasted varities of duck, chicken, and ham, and appetizers and side entrees. At quarter to 4pm, Chad approached the boom mike system, reaching down to turn the device on. Tapping it, he spoke.

"Testing. Am I on?"

The crowd answered with "yes's" and giggles, so he continued.

"Well then ladies and gentlemen, if you will help me to welcome Mr. and Mrs. Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald, and their bridal party!"

The crowd roared in applause as the bride and groom stepped into the canopy. They were followed by the bridal party, and took their seats at the table facing the crowd, at an angle. Once they were seated, Chad made another announcement.

"And now, if you all would kindly bow your heads and close your eyes, I'll lead us in a prayer before the buffet..."

**Five Minutes Later...**

"Amen..."

The crowd echoed and applauded Chad, who acknowledged it. By this time, all the guests had wine glasses sitting in front of them. A nearby usher approached to hand Chad his glass. Thanking the man, Chad turned to the bridal party. Approaching the table, he concluded his speech.

"And now I believe the Best Man would like to speak."

Reese took the microphone and thanked Chad for the intro. As Chad took his seat, Reese stood before the crowd behind the table.

"Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen. My name is Reese, and Miguel and I have been friends for about as long as I can remember. We go back to grade school, and the one good thing I can remember is that the positives far outweigh the negatives. I'm not sure how we managed that, but I'm lucky to have found a friend that always stuck by me..."

"You and me both, buddy." Miguel spoke up.

Reese smiled, "in fact I guess that saying 'opposites attract'...in a different sense of course," as he made that correction, he got a laugh from the audience and the bridal party.

"I guess that saying comes true in different ways. Because I don't think any two could have been any more opposite than when Miguel and I were growing up. He was popular among the girls, although he's permanently taken now."

As he said that, Miguel held Charity closer, and her head fell on his shoulder.

"And as for me...well..."

"You're taken, buddy," Jessica winked at him while the crowd laughed.

He winked back, turning to the crowd. "But despite that, we formed a bond that is still as strong today as it was then. Thinking back to the days on the softball field even. It seems just like yesterday. Like when Kay hit that winning home run against the Marshes when we were in 6th grade. You guys remember that hit?"

Miguel and Kay smiled, thinking back to that day in July.

"That day set the record for us. Prior to that game, we won about 7, lost about 3. After that game, we held an undefeated record for about 2 more years. By the time we retired from softball, it was time to face the first day of high school."

Kay squirmed, "ah, don't remind me!" Her response was met with more laughter.

"Okay, we won't go there," Reese promised. Kay flashed him a thumbs-up as a thank-you, and he returned the gesture. Turning back to the crowd, he continued.

"Anyways, I told myself my speech wouldn't last all day, so I'll wrap this up. Charity, you have no idea how happy you've made my best friend. Back in high school, he had a few girlfriends...but none of them have inspired or loved him like you have. So I'd like to thank you for making my best friend such a happy guy. Numerous times he has said how lucky he is, and how much you mean to him, and I see why."

"Thank you, Reese," Charity smiled.

"And Miguel, thanks for being a true friend, buddy. We've survived through the good and difficult times, and not once has this friendship faltered. I guess that's what makes our friendship so special. And I'm glad that you found such an awesome girl. A girl that truly makes you happy. Makes you as happy as I am proud of the both of you. Congratulations, you two."

He raised his glass and announced. "To Charity and Miguel."

His toast was echoed by the guests and bridal party, and everyone took a sip. Afterwards, the audience applauded. Standing up to thank him, the groom and best man shared a hug. Afterwards, Reese announced.

"And now, lets eat!"

**Forty Minutes Later...**

The guests were beginning to finish up their meals. As they did, and the ushers circled the tables, taking plates and cups to dispose of, they turned as they began to hear music play. Sure enough, Chad was at the DJ Stand, ready to kick off the rest of the day with entertainment. Smiling, he put the headsets on and spoke into the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if I could have your attention please? This is Chad Harris again, and I'll be your DJ for the day. So if you have any special requests, I'll be glad to play your favorites. Just drop by and let me know. But right now, it's time for the bride and groom to share their first dance."

The room was filled with applause, as the couple stepped down from the bridal table and slowly made their way to the center of the dance floor. Taking his wife into his arms, Miguel leaned down to kiss her. Chad popped the CD and hit play. Then, Shania Twain and Bryan White's "From This Moment On", started to play. Just moments into their first dance, Charity started to giggle. Lightly squeezing her, Miguel inquired.

"What's up?"

Charity beamed, "I just can't believe we're here. We really did it."

"I know," he agreed. "It still feels surreal. But I couldn't be happier. I love you so much, Mrs. Lopez-Fitzgerald."

"I love you, too. Did I mention how much I love that title?"

"I think this is the first time, but I don't mind hearing it again."

Charity laughed, "well then hopefully you'll get used to it."

"I already have," Miguel gazed into her eyes.

Charity kissed him and melted in his arms, as they danced to the rest of the song...

**Five Minutes Later**

As the bride and groom's song slowly came to an end, they shared another kiss. More applause came, as they waved at their guests. Their MC turned the mike on to announce the time for the bride and groom to dance with mom and dad. Miguel stepped forward and reached for his mother's hand. Smiling, she took his hand and joined him on the dance floor. Meanwhile, Charity made her way over to her aunt and uncle. Sam smiled at his niece, as she stepped over.

"Uncle Sam...I was wondering if you wouldn't mind stepping in again?"

Smiling again, Sam stood to his feet. "Charity, I'd be honored to."

Kissing his niece's cheek, he walked her towards the dance floor. They both turned as Kay warned.

"Careful, Charity! Your uncle has two left feet!"

The entire room laughed at Kay's comment. Her mom flashed her a thumbs-up, and Kay returned it. After a minute it died down, and Sam shot his daughter a funny warning look.

"Okay, I've got you later, little girl," and he laughed again with everyone else.

"I'll be waiting," Kay chimed with another smile.

But to settle their friendly feud, she blew him a kiss. He smiled again, walking with his niece the rest of the way to the dance floor. Once the dance partners were set, Chad made a quick announcement.

"We're going to go back in time a little for this next one. Let me know what you think."

He hit the play button and moments later, Paul Anka's "Times of Your Life" started to play.

Once Pilar recognized it, she sighed. "Oh, this is a good one." she giggled.

"You like this one, mama?" Miguel inquired.

"Your father and I used to dance to this one. It seems so long ago now..." her voice faded.

Miguel rubbed his mother's arm. "Papa is still watching over us."

Pilar patted her son's cheek. "Oh, I know mijo. And I'm sure he's as proud of you as I am."

"Thanks, mama," and for a moment they danced in silence.

Then, Miguel looked around. From the surrounding atmosphere of the canopy the reception was being held in, to the buffet tables that housed a variety of choices. He shook his head, amazed.

"I still can't believe Mr. Crane managed to pull alll this off in a week."

Pilar softly smiled, "you and me both. He worked wonders, that's for sure."

Miguel frowned slightly, "did he tell you why he was willing to do all this anyway?"

Pilar gazed at her son, as he shook his head.

"Don't get me wrong. Charity and I are incredibly grateful. I just wondered why, I guess."

She shrugged, "well when I asked him, he said he felt it was the least he could do after the years I've worked here."

"Well that was really generous. But you're sure that's the only reason?"

"What're you suggesting, mijo?"

Miguel hesitated, then decided against his original thought. "You know, I'm not even sure. I'm probably just being paranoid. I shouldn't do that now."

"You're right, you shouldn't. At least not today. Focus on you and your wife. This is your day. I'm so proud of you, mijo. Charity is a terrific girl. She loves you so much."

Miguel glanced over. She and her uncle were heavy in conversation. "I love her, too. She's everything." Miguel thought about what he said, turning back to his mother. "Well I mean-"

"It's okay, Miguel. I know," his mother shushed him. "Your priorities are going to switch up now that you're married. I was your age too once."

She giggled, while he smiled, and they continued to dance.

**In the Next Chapter**

The reception continues, and the drama is on.

Sorry, guys. I kinda wanted this chapter to be about the bride and groom, so I ended it there on purpose. But don't worry, the chapters coming up will branch out. Anyways, let me know what you think.


	27. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

**At the Mansion - The Reception**

As Paul Anka's "Times of Your Life" slowly died down, Chad turned the microphone back on.

"And now ladies and gentlemen, feel free to make your way on to the dance floor. And remember, if you have any special requests, just let me know and I'll be happy to play your favorites. Enjoy yourselves."

After his announcement, the bridal party and guests made their way up. As Eve and T.C. stood up, Eve noticed that Whitney stayed put.

"Sweetheart, are you coming?"

Whitney glanced briefly at Chad, who was looking over CD's. Shaking her head, she forced a smile.

"You two go ahead. I'll catch up."

Eve smiled curiously as she nodded, following her husband. Whitney peeked again. Chad caught her eye, winked and smiled. She smiled back, watching the guests. Reese held out his hand for Jessica to take. Standing up, she turned to Simone.

"Simone, aren't you coming?"

Simone started to answer, when she felt a hand on her back. She turned and politely smiled.

"Hey, John."

"Hey. Would you like to dance?" He extended his hand.

"Um..." Simone hesitated, but Jessica encouraged her.

"Yeah, Simone. Come dance with us."

Shrugging, Simone took his hand and stood to her feet. "Why not?"

John smiled, while Reese and Jessica lead the way to the dance floor. Close by, Kay stood to her feet and felt a pair of hands cover her eyes. Tapping her chin, she giggled.

"Gee, I wonder who this could be. Perhaps a handsome guy I happen to be seeing?"

Laughing, Daniel uncovered her eyes and spun her around. "Good answer."

She laughed, throwing her arms around him. Then, drawing away, they shared a kiss.

"So would you care to dance, Miss Bennett?"

"I would love to."

At that, they hit the dance floor. They met up with her parents, and the bride and groom and stayed close by. Theresa and Fox watched a minute longer, before he turned to her.

"So...?" he started and she giggled.

"So..." she prompted him.

"Do you think you'll be alright to dance with me?"

"I don't know, but I'm willing to find out."

Fox leaned in, whispering, "I like that answer."

Theresa giggled, when he kissed her and stood to his feet. Leaning over, he helped her to stand. She held onto him, and he held her close.

"Feel okay so far?"

"I feel great."

Fox smiled, and they walked to the dance floor. Holding her close, they took it a step at a time. Little did they know they had a little audience. From across the room, Ethan had a slight eye on them. Further over, Ivy and Rebecca stood off to the side. Rebecca's eyes danced back and forth between different men she'd surely trouble for a dance, while Ivy kept an icy stare on Fox and Theresa. Sam, Grace, T.C. and Eve stayed relatively close and conversed among themselves. Beth, who was sitting with a few regulars of the Book Cafe, turned as a hand landed on her shoulder. Turning, she smiled up at Hank.

"Hank, hey. What's up?"

"I was wondering if you were up for a dance?"

Beth softly smiled, taking his hand. "Sure."

As they got settled on the dance floor, Beth looked around. "You haven't seen Luis, have you?"

"He's actually over there, dancing with his mom," Beth followed his gaze.

**Across the Room...**

Pilar expressed hesitancy about her son and Sheridan's plans.

"Luis I can't stop you...I'm just not sure you should say anything so soon."

"The sooner the better, mama. We can't keep this act going. We've waited long enough."

"But your brother just got married," Pilar objected again.

"Which is why we're waiting until tonight. Mama...it's time the truth came out."

**Meanwhile...**

While Antonio held his wife, completely into the song currently playing, Sheridan was off in space, anticipating what the rest of the night would hold. This rising anxiety was unnerving. She knew it was from fear of hurting a man she cared about. Suddenly, she became aware that Antonio had probably called her name about a dozen times.

"Oh, Antonio I'm sorry. What were you saying?"

"Just wanted to make sure you were okay. You seemed off in space, somewhere."

"Oh, yeah, that. I uh-I guess..." she lost her train of thought, but he encouraged her.

"Come-on, you can tell me," he prompted her. "What were you thinking about?"

While that image of his wife and brother flashed in his mind, Antonio waited for an answer.

**Meanwhile...**

Jessica was occupied with whatever Reese was talking about as they danced around. Close by, Simone was spun around and swooped back into John's arms. She giggled in amazement.

"John, I must say I'm impressed. I didn't know you were such a good dancer."

He smiled, "I'll let you in on a little secret." He shook his head. "I didn't either."

While she laughed he smiled, still staring at her. She held his gaze a moment longer, before glancing over. Whitney was talking with a few friends from school, and Chad was flipping through a book of CD's, probably deciding on what else he was going to play. She watched a wedding guest walk over and tap Chad. He bent down and after she spoke, he nodded his head, flashing her a thumbs-up. She nodded, walking back towards her husband. Then, Simone watched with a raised eyebrow as Whitney excused herself and walked over to Chad. Stepping onto the small stage with him, she squeezed his arm. He smiled, stepping over to give her room as she whispered something in his ear. Simone slowly shook her head. John followed her gaze over to them, then turned back to her.

"Simone. You okay?"

Turning back to John, Simone faked a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just observing."

**Across the Room...**

Kay was twirled around and drawn back into Daniel's arms. He held her close and they shared a smile.

"I am so glad that you were able to make it."

Leaning down to kiss her, he told her. "You and me both. Your family's great."

"They really like you. And it looks like you and my dad really hit it off."

"Yeah. I mentioned the Kansas City Royals and that was it."

"Ah, baseball," Kay laughed. "Yeah, if anything else I know my dad can get into that game. And the Royals? Don't mess with them or the Mets, or you have to answer to him."

Daniel laughed, "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the hint."

"I'll tell you a secret," she teased.

"What's that?"

"I only clue a guy in like that if I like him."

"Tell you a secret?"

"My lips are sealed," Kay assured him.

He leaned in close, "I'll keep that in mind, too," he teased.

Kay laughed, gazing into his eyes again. Leaning in, he kissed her again as she melted into his arms.

**Meanwhile...**

Ethan and Gwen had been on the dance floor earlier, but had decided to take a break for a while. While Gwen and her mother found something to talk about, Ivy questioned her son. She made sure they were distanced from the rest of the reception, further towards the back of the canopy. Once they reached a safe spot, Ivy folded her arms over her chest.

"Mother...?" Ethan prompted her with a shrug.

"Ethan, look me in the eyes and tell me your feelings for that girl are gone."

He rolled his eyes and turned away. "You've got to be kidding me-"

"I'm actually very serious," she grabbed his arm to turn him around.

"What kind of question is that?" Ethan shook his head.

"An honest one that can be answered. Ethan, every time I glance your way, you're staring in her direction. And that look in your eyes every time you do has surpassed concern. It's not concern anymore. It's something else. What's going on? I want to know."

Ethan denied it, "Mother, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't give me that, Ethan. I know you."

"Well why don't you fill me in on what you see, because I'm clueless..."

Ivy stared him hard in the eyes, "I see jealousy, Ethan."

**In the Next Chapter**

The bride and groom cut the cake.

Antonio attempts to get answers.

Theresa pushes herself a bit too far.


	28. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

**At the Mansion - The Reception**

Almost an hour had gone by. And couples were still enjoying themselves on the dance floor. By this time, Antonio had followed Sheridan's gaze several times over to Luis and Beth. He decided he wanted answers.

"Sheridan?"

Snapping back to reality, she turned to her husband. "Yes?"

He gazed at her another moment. "Come with me..." he approached the couple.

Sheridan was confused, "Antonio, what're you-"

"Hey, you two," Antonio ignored her to greet his brother and friend.

Turning, Luis and Beth faced the couple. Beth smiled politely. "Hey, Antonio."

Luis glanced first at Sheridan, who offered a confused smile. He nodded, turning to his brother. "Hey, you two. What's up?"

Antonio spoke again, "would you two mind if I cut in?"

Sheridan blinked, but quickly hid her confusion with a smile, as Beth spoke up.

"Um...not at all, I guess..." she hesitated, turning to Luis who kept his eye on his brother.

"Uh, sure Antonio," he answered as he released Beth.

"We won't be too long. Until then, you two can keep one another company."

Antonio concluded as he took Beth's hand. Beth followed him and once they were out of ear-shot, Luis pulled Sheridan into his arms, shooting her a look.

"Are you as clueless as I am?"

"Pretty much," was all Sheridan could offer. "But from the looks of it, something's up."

**Meanwhile...**

Once they were across the room, Antonio took the lead. Beth fell into step with him, clearly confused by his actions.

"Is everything okay, Antonio?"

He shook his head, "I really don't know anymore."

"What's wrong?"

"I was hoping you'd already know. Or at least have an idea."

Beth shook her head again, "have an idea about what?"

"Whatever is going on between Sheridan and Luis."

Beth froze, scrambling for a good excuse. "What gives you that idea?"

That image of them burned in his mind again, before he shrugged. "Just a hunch, I guess. But am I the only one or do you think something's going on?"

Before Beth could answer, they both turned as they heard the DJ tap the mike.

"If I could have your attention, ladies and gentlemen. It is now time for the bride and groom to cut the cake."

After his announcement, the crowd erupted in a light applause. Then, the guests made a path for the bride, groom and bridal party to make their way through as they headed for the table that housed the wedding cake. The groom's mother, and bride's aunt and uncle followed close behind. The photographers, among them David, stayed in a reachable vicinity to achieve the best shots. Charity reached forward and grabbed the silver cake knife, turning to her husband with a smile.

"You ready?"

"Absolutely," he smiled back.

Together, they cut the first slice and photographs were taken. As Charity set the knife down, Miguel grabbed two forks, handing Charity one. Before he fed his bride the piece, he looked around, getting an idea. He looked at just enough encouraging faces to go through with his plan. Smiling innocently at his bride, who eyed him curiously, he took the piece he was to feed her and smashed half in her mouth, while the other half landed on her chin and cheek. Several snapshots followed. While the crowd laughed, Charity screeched, bursting into laughter as she wiped the cream off her face with a napkin she'd had in her other hand. Smiling deviously at her husband, she told him.

"It's okay. I owe you one now."

The crowd laughed again, as Charity took her piece and retaliated. But before Miguel could wipe it off, she kissed him, smearing cream over the both of them again. Miguel put the plate down and held his bride as a few more snapshots followed. The crowd continued to laugh, but clapped as well. Drawing away, the two wiped one another clean of frosting and cream. Then, they took their champaigne glasses, locked arms and sipped from their glasses. As the audience clapped again, the bride and groom cut three additional slices. Miguel handed two plates to Sam and Grace, his now aunt and uncle-in-laws, and Charity handed the final plate to Pilar, her mother-in-law. As the two did so, they exchanged hugs with the adults. Once they had their plates, the members of the bridal party were next to grab their slices. Afterwards, the rest of the guests grabbed slices.

**Fifteen Minutes Later...**

As everyone was finishing up, the DJ returned to his post. Adjusting his headphones, Chad spoke into the mike.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen. Now that we've all had a chance to feast on that delectable cake, what's say we get back on that dance floor for a little while? Dance a bit of this sugar rush off? In about twenty minutes, we'll regroup for the garter and bouquet tosses."

At that, he popped in DJ Casper's "Cha Cha Slide" a pretty popular hit. Once attendees caught on, they quickly rushed to the dance floor. Theresa stood a little too quickly to keep up with Fox. Losing her balance, she fell back into the chair. Hitting a tender spot, she shrieked.

"Ah!"

"Oh God! Theresa, I'm sorry I should've held you tighter. Where does it hurt?"

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault, it was me." Theresa reached around to massage the irritated spot. Fox kept his eyes on her, when he noticed that they were no longer alone. That little yelp that she tried to stifle drew a small crowd.

"Theresa, are you okay?" Whitney asked her as she stepped over.

"What happened?" Eve was now approaching with T.C.

"It's nothing. I'm fine really. I just stood up a little too fast."

Eve looked around, "Theresa, where are your crutches?"

Theresa hesitated, "...inside the house."

Eve gave her a look, and Theresa pleaded her side. "I didn't think I'd need them. I've been walking around just fine."

"Theresa, we had a deal," Eve spoke again.

"Dr. Russell...I didn't go against your orders-"

"-You didn't?" Eve asked her.

"...Not exactly. Last night the girls were with me. And today...I've been with Fox all day. So I haven't walked unless someone was with me."

"But not without the crutches. I know they can be a pain, but they're only to help. You should be using them."

"...I'm sorry," Theresa finally caved.

Dr. Russell brought a hand to her patient's shoulder. "...It's okay. Maybe you should just relax for now."

Theresa opened her mouth to argue, but decided against it. "Alright..."

Fox ran his hand over her shoulder, while Eve told her.

"Just for a little while. I just want you to relax. It's been a long day."

Theresa nodded her head again, watching Whitney's parents take off. Then, her best friend squeezed her shoulder.

"Hey. You okay?"

Theresa slowly nodded her head, eventually smiling. "Yeah."

Whitney nodded her head in the DJ's direction, "I won't be far if you need me, okay?"

"Thanks, Whit," Theresa smiled after her as she walked back over to Chad.

Turning to Fox, he rubbed her arm again, "you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I just want this healing process to be done with already."

"Well, I think I have a way to cheer you up," Fox encouraged her with a smile.

She giggled, "what're you thinking, Fox?"

"Hold tight. I shouldn't be long," kissing her, he took off.

Theresa watched after him, giggling as she did. Once he was gone, she looked around at the guests, enjoying themselves on the dance floor. Then, she reached over and took a rose from the vase that was sitting on the table. She leaned in, picking up its scent, when a hand touched her shoulder. Smiling, she reached with her free hand to intertwine their fingers.

"That was fast. What were you talking about...?" She stopped, turning to face the person.

"...Ethan?"

**In the Next Chapter**

Fox and Ivy have a heated discussion.

The garter and bouquet get tossed.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry about the delay with this chapter. I've been trying to get things settled before classes start again in a few weeks. Also, I landed a second part-time job and training left me pretty tired. But now that this is one is up, the next chapter won't take long.


	29. Chapter 28

**A/N:** Hey, guys. I'm sorry about the delay again. Ironically, I remember my last author's note saying this chapter wouldn't take as long as 27, when in fact I think this one took a little bit longer. It's mainly just me trying to balance priorities. But I'll try my best to update sooner with future chapters. For now, just let me know what you think.

**Chapter 28**

**At the Mansion - The Reception**

Taking her hand off his, Theresa quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, I thought you were-"

"-Fox. It's okay." He gestured to the seat next to her. "Is it okay if I sit with you?"

She shrugged, "sure. But he'll be back soon."

"It's okay. This won't take long."

"What's that?" She wondered.

He shrugged, "just wanted to see how things were going with you."

"Oh, things are great. My recovery is coming along. I don't even need the chair anymore. And Fox is amazing. He's got so much patience, and he's a huge help with Little Ethan. He's really something."

Ethan slowly nodded his head, when she asked. "And how are things with Gwen?"

He paused. "Things are good. We were at odds for a little while, but we're getting back on track."

"That's good," she gave him an encouraging smile.

"So are things getting serious with you two?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. At first I thought it was a little soon..."

"-And now?" He prompted her.

She shook her head, "I'm not worried anymore. Fox means so much to me."

Ethan gazed at her. "He's really lucky."

Theresa slowly met Ethan's gaze. "So am I."

Ethan held her gaze for another moment, before he looked around. So far, wherever Fox had disappeared to, he was still gone. Glancing back to Theresa, he nodded his head.

**In the Mansion - The Nursery**

The door to the nursery opened and out walked Phyllis and Fox, holding Little Ethan.

"Thanks, Phyllis. I think this is sure to cheer both mommy and baby up."

"Not a problem," she smiled. "Now, can I bring you anything before I go back?"

Fox laughed, "Phyllis, go back out there and enjoy the reception. Thank you, but no."

Nodding her head, Phyllis turned and nearly crashed into Ivy. "Oh, Ms. Crane. I'm sorry, I didn't see you."

"It's alright, Phyllis. But if you don't mind, I'd like to speak with my son."

"Not at all, ma'am." Turning briefly to Fox, she waved goodbye and was out of sight.

Fox kept his eyes on the toddler in his arms, nearly refusing to make eye-contact.

"Mother, I wouldn't mind a chat, but maybe later?"

Ivy blocked him as he attempted to get by. "Actually, right now would be better. I think you'd be interested to hear what I have to say."

"You really think so?" Fox challenged.

"Look Fox, I wasn't the best mother to you growing up-"

"-If at all," the bitter tone in Fox's voice came full-force.

Ivy stopped and stared at him. Rolling his eyes, he made eye-contact and let out a deep breath. Taking this as her cue to speak again, Ivy told him.

"I want you to stay away from Theresa."

Fox gave her an icy stare. "You've got to be kidding. That's what you had to say?"

"Fox, you don't know that girl like I do. She's poison. She ruined Ethan's life, and I don't want her to do the same thing to you."

"Mother with all due respect, you're being ridiculous. Ethan's life is far from ruined. He's married to his childhood sweetheart, and she's about to give birth to their first child. Okay, so he's no longer a Crane...but that doesn't seem to have completely ruined him. If anything, he has more family that loves him. So what if that information got out to the tabloids. Is it Theresa's fault that you cheated on Father?"

"Nicholas Crane, you watch that tone."

"Look, I don't have time for this. I'd like to-"

"-Well, you're going to have to make time. I don't want that girl to ruin your life."

"She hasn't ruined my life. And she isn't going to. All she can do is make it better, because all she does is make me happy."

"Fox, you're happy now...maybe. But it's just a matter of time before she breaks your heart."

"Or so you hope, right?"

"Fox-"

"-Mother, this conversation is over. I'm not a little boy. I'm a grown man. I'll learn from my own mistakes, but I don't need you to hold my hand every step of the way. If you'll excuse me..."

With that, he was gone. Ivy spun around and watched him storm off. Folding her arms over her chest, she shook her head.

"Oh, Fox. One day you'll learn the hard way."

**Back Inside...**

Ethan gazed at Theresa again. "You mean a lot to him too. He really loves you."

Theresa blinked, "you really think so? ...How can you tell?"

"Because he'd be a damn fool not to."

Theresa opened her mouth to speak again, when Fox stepped over carrying Little Ethan.

"So it looks like this little guy missed his mommy."

Fox set him in Theresa's lap before meeting his brother's gaze, the tension clear. Theresa didn't notice, as the sight of her son brought an instant smile to her face.

"Hey you. How's my baby doing?"

Theresa kissed his cheek and as he giggled, she laughed with him. While the sight of mother and son brought smiles to both the guy's faces, they were still tense around each other. Fox made the first move.

"So Ethan, how's it going?"

Ethan stood from his seat. "Not bad, actually. Just thought I'd stop by and see how she was doing."

"Well as you can see, she's doing fine. But thanks for keeping her company."

"It wasn't a problem," he gazed from Theresa back to his brother.

At this point, Theresa sensed the tension. She took Fox's hand and he squeezed it gently, turning to his brother.

"By the way, I bumped into Gwen before I came back. I think she'd like to see her husband."

Ethan flinched at the cold shoulder response. Instead of arguing, he nodded. "Thanks, Fox. I guess I'll be going, then."

With one last glance at Theresa, Ethan made his way through the crowd. Once he was gone, Fox sat with her, kissing her cheek.

"Hey, beautiful. How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. Now that my two favorite guys are with me. But what was that all about?"

Fox shook his head, "nothing important." As he looked over, he caught Ethan's eye again.

**Meanwhile...**

Chad danced along to the final song he was playing, before he tapped the mike. As he slowly drew the attention of the crowd, he smiled.

"It's that magic time, ladies and gentlemen. The garter and bouquet tosses."

With that announcement, came a big applause from the audience. The bride and groom made their way over to their table, stepping up onto the small stage. Kay reached up to hand her cousin the bouquet. Then, Charity took a seat so that Miguel could slip the garter from her leg. Standing again, they turned to the crowd. Chad quickly stepped over to hand the couple a few mikes. Charity took hers and spoke.

"Will all the eligible ladies step over?"

Giggling, she watched a small crowd of women slowly make their way over to her. Turning around, she held the bouquet in her hands. She laughed at the shouts of encouragement behind her, before she launched the bouquet over her head, into the air. She spun around, laughing with Miguel and Chad as the women scurried for it. Finally, the bouquet landed...in an interesting location. Once Charity caught sight of where it landed, she laughed and then clapped. Miguel and Chad did the same thing. The women turned around, to see the bouquet land on the table Theresa was sitting at, Little Ethan reaching for it. Theresa picked the bouquet up and waved it in the air. Everyone clapped, while Chad made the announcement.

"Congratulations, Theresa. Could there be wedding bells in your future?"

Theresa laughed, shrugging her shoulders. Chad laughed, turning to Miguel who nodded.

"And now...if all the eligible bachelors could step forward. Who's going to catch the garter?"

One by one, the guys got in a group, encouraging Miguel to aim smartly. Miguel laughed, as he took the garter and flung it in the air. The guys jumped to grab it, but it landed in Fox's hands. Ivy noticed, and shook her head. Turning to her son, she saw the same look of disapproval in his eyes, although she could assume it was for a different reason. The guys clapped, while Chad spoke again.

"And congratulations, Fox. Now you two know the next step. Get on over there, buddy."

Fox laughed, shooting his friend the "gun" as he walked over to his girlfriend, with the crowd following. She smiled, looking up at him. Whitney walked over to take Little Ethan from Theresa, who thanked her. Turning back to her boyfriend, she lifted her gown up to her knee. Fox slid her heel off, to slip the garter onto her leg. Once the task was done, he leaned up to kiss her again. The crowd applauded, the only disapproving looks coming from Ivy and Ethan.

**In the Next Chapter**

Charity and Miguel say goodbye to some of their guests.

Ivy and Rebecca have a warning for Theresa.

Julian gives the two a taste of their own medicine.


End file.
